Russell Garcia

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Russell Garcia is a motion picture composer born April 12, 1916 in Oakland, California. Self-taught, his break came when he substituted for an ill colleague on a radio show. Subsequently, he went on to become composer/arranger at NBC Studios (for such shows as Rawhide and Laredo), MGM and Universal Studios. He collaborated with Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald on many of their albums (doing arrangements and conducting their orchestras as needed.)

Garcia and his wife Gina Mauriello Garcia, a published author in her own right, have been members of the Bahá’í Faith since 1955. In 1966, at the height of his career they sold their home and possessions, bought a boat, and on June 1st set sail. Neither Russell nor Gina knew anything about sailing and Gina didn’t know how to swim and the early arrival of hurricane Alma forced them to return after only two days at sea. It was December before the boat was finally repaired and they set forth once again. This time they reached Nassau without any further complications and spent several years as “travel-teachers” for the Bahá’ís as they went around the world to places like the Galapagos Islands, Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands. When they reached Fiji in 1969, some musicians from Auckland, New Zealand invited Russell to do some live concerts, radio and television shows and to lecture at the various universities around the country on behalf of the New Zealand Broadcasting Commission and Music Trades Association.