George Edwin Patterson obit

 Wellingtons Singer George Patterson Has Died

He was not on the list.

Patterson was a singer, musician and psychologist. He was also a member of the pop folk group The Wellingtons. He left his musical career for medicine in the early 70s, opening the Patterson Therapy Center in Toluca Lake, California.

He was born in August of 1940 in Urbana, Illinois.

The group performed the title songs for several television programs in the 1950s and 1960s, including Gilligan's Island and Davy Crockett. They also appeared regularly on the televised music show Shindig!

The Wellingtons were founded by all three members, George Patterson, Ed Wade, and Kirby Johnson. The group, originally called The Lincolns, recorded for Kapp Records. After changing their name, the Wellingtons were signed by Walt Disney to record the theme song for Disney's The Wonderful World of Color. For Disneyland Records, they recorded numerous theme songs, including The Ballad of Davy Crockett for the mini-series Davy Crockett. The Wellingtons can be heard singing "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" in the soundtrack for the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Gilligan's Island producer Sherwood Schwartz had his pilot episodes rejected twice. Before resubmitting a reworked pilot, he decided to use a new theme song. Working with composer George Wyle he developed a folk song that told the back story of the castaways, and hired The Wellingtons to sing it. The song was a hit. The Wellingtons appear in a second season (1965–66) episode as a rock group called "The Mosquitoes." Not only is the insect-named moniker a play on The Beatles, but the members of the fictitious group are named Bingo, Bango, Bongo and Irving in a reverse play on the names John, Paul, George and Ringo.

The Wellingtons appeared as regulars on the variety television show Shindig! on their own and as backup singers to visiting acts.

They also provided studio backing vocals on recordings by such artists as Annette Funicello, Jan and Dean, and others.

The group traveled with actor Donald O'Connor for six and a half years and toured with The Supremes and Stevie Wonder. The final member of the group still living is founder Ed Wade, who is now an attorney. Kirby Johnson died in 1999 and Patterson in 2015.

The group  also provided studio backing vocals on recordings by such artists as Annette Funicello, Jan and Dean, and others.

Joined by Les Brown Jr., the son of band leader, Les Brown Sr., the Wellingtons also portrayed the fictional band, The Mosquitoes in a second season episode, performing songs they had written themselves. Not much is known about their later years, but the single members eventually parted ways. Les Brown Jr. became an actor and director; he is the uncle of Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh of "Phineas And Ferb" fame. George Patterson got  a PH.D. in Counseling Psychology working in private practice in Toluca Lake, California. He was married with three grown children. 

Actor

Soundtrack

Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, and Emma Stone in Aloha (2015)

Aloha

5.4

performer: "The Wonderful World of Color"

2015

 

Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Saving Mr. Banks

7.5

performer: "Wonderful World of Color"

2013

 

Some Jerk with a Camera (2011)

Some Jerk with a Camera

7.6

TV Series

performer: "Wonderful World of Color (Main Title)"

2013

1 episode

 

The Neighbors (2012)

The Neighbors

6.9

TV Series

performer: "The Ballad of Davy Crockett"

writer: "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" (uncredited)

2013

1 episode

 

Bert Newton and Catriona Rowntree in 20 to 1 (2005)

20 to 1

5.8

TV Series

performer: "The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle"

2010

1 episode

 

George Clooney, Bill Murray, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, Eric Chase Anderson, and Wallace Wolodarsky in Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Fantastic Mr. Fox

7.9

performer: "The Ballad of Davy Crockett"

2009

 

Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Wilmer Valderrama, Topher Grace, and Laura Prepon in That '70s Show (1998)

That '70s Show

8.1

TV Series

performer: "The Ballad Of Gilligan's Island"

1999

1 episode

 

Shindig! (1964)

Shindig!

7.9

TV Series

performer: "Flowers on the Wall"

performer: "Go Ahead and Cry", "Shout"

performer: "Ride the Wild Surf", "In the Chapel in the Moonlight" ...

1964–1966

33 episodes

 

Hollywood a Go Go (1964)

Hollywood a Go Go

7.8

TV Series

performer: "Rock & Roll Music", "If I Had a Hammer", "Hukilau"

performer: "I'll Never Find Another You"

performer: "A Summer Song", "If I Fell in Love with You", "Heartache and Heartbreak"

1965

3 episodes