At the time, Mr. Drake was in the office of a music publisher who told him that Bob Shane of the Kingston Trio would be coming in the following morning to select a new song, so he decided to compose one on the spot.
I seated myself at the piano and pulled out the notebook where I keep ideas, he said during a recent interview at his home in Great Neck. In the notebook he found the kernel of the song that would become A Very Good Year.
It wound up on a Kingston Trio album but, Mr. Drake said, It didnt make a splash until Sinatra sang it. That performance won a Grammy in 1965.
Mr. Drake, who turned 90 last month, has written or co-written hundreds of songs, including I Believe and Good Morning Heartache, the jazz standard first recorded by Billie Holiday in 1946. He also composed the scores for the 1964 musical What Makes Sammy Run? and the lesser-known Her First Roman in 1968. From 1948 to 1962, he produced and wrote scripts and composed for TV series and specials.
Mr. Drakes 90th birthday was celebrated several times in Manhattan at events hosted by the National Arts Club, the Songwriters Guild of America and the Friars Club. Hofstra Entertainment will present a birthday tribute on June 7 at which a dozen singers, including the Broadway and cabaret star KT Sullivan and the Emmy-nominated actor John Gabriel (Ryans Hope), will perform. Mr. Drake said he planned to say a few words and perhaps sing.
Very Good Years: A 90th Birthday Tribute to Ervin Drake, June 7 at 2 p.m., Monroe Lecture Center Theater, California Avenue, South Campus, Hofstra University, Hempstead. Information: (516) 463-6644.
