Nelson Riddle arranged Frank Sinatra’s Capitol albums In the Wee Small Hours and Songs for Swingin’ Lovers!. His orchestral work became central to the distinctive sound of Sinatra’s most celebrated recordings of the 1950s.
In the Wee Small Hours, released in 1955, used Riddle’s arrangements to create a subdued, nocturnal atmosphere around songs about loneliness, lost love, and introspection. The album is often regarded as one of the earliest major concept albums because its songs and cover art sustain a unified emotional mood.
Riddle followed it with the brighter, more rhythmic arrangements for Songs for Swingin’ Lovers!, released in 1956. That album included standards such as “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and helped demonstrate how effectively Sinatra and Riddle could move from melancholy ballads to energetic swing. The arranger is sometimes confused with Gordon Jenkins, Billy May, or Axel Stordahl, all important figures in Sinatra’s career, but Riddle was the arranger associated with both albums named in this question.