Yessian Music in Farmington Hills Has a Hand in Thanksgiving Day Parade

You may not know Dan Yessian, but you probably know his music.

During the past 40 years, the composer/producer has written catchy tunes that promote everything from products to movies through his Farmington Hills-based business, Yessian Music. One of the company's recent jingles for the U-M Health System features a poignant version of the University of Michigan fight song, "The Victors", underscoring images of U-M patients.

On the other end of the scale, a ditty Yessian penned 30 years ago for Detroit-based Dietrich Furs is still used in the company's commercials. And he counts the "We're making your world a little easier" theme composed for Whirlpool washing machines and music composed for Sesame Street among his personal favorites.

This year, the West Bloomfield resident was tapped to pen a theme that will set the tone for the 2011 America's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Yessian said he has known Tony Michaels, who became Parade Company President and CEO in 2009, for 25 years. Michaels asked Yessian to write something that would kick off the parade – and be used for the summer Target Fireworks.

Yessian said Michaels "wanted a musical stamp on these events. We wrangled with the title ... he wanted to somehow join America with Detroit."

The resulting "Celebrate America, Celebrate Detroit" was crafted in collaboration with Mark Chu, an arranger who was a resident composer at Yessian Music in Farmington Hills for two years before moving back to Los Angeles. He also called on head mixer, Grammy Award winner Gerard Smerek, to help produce the track.

"Dan has done phenomenal work over the years and has a stellar reputation,” said Michaels.

The music will be a common thread throughout the parade broadcast, with elements of the theme used at commercial breaks. The , also based in Farmington Hills, has begun arranging choreography to go with it.

The song will be performed by vocalists from Detroit and a cross-section of the country, emphasizing its theme. "It's 'the whole nation sings' kind of thing," Yessian said. Local voices include Detroit's Susan Calloway, Liz Larin and Graham Strachan.

Company gives back with music

Yessian Music has composed themes "gratis" for a number of non-profits, including The Toy Chest, Birmingham-based charity that provides toys and crafts for pediatric cancer patients, St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center and the Detroit Zoo. The company has also worked with Detroit Public Schools, throwing fundraisers to help the strapped district.

One of the company's recent jingles promotes the U-M Health System, with a poignant version of the University of Michigan fight song, "The Victors", underscoring images of U-M patients. On the other end of the scale, a ditty Yessian penned 30 years ago for Detroit-based Dietrich Furs is still used in the company's commercials.

He counts the "We're making your world a little easier" theme composed for Whirlpool washing machines and music composed for Sesame Street among his personal favorites.

The business isn't easy; Yessian said his company "90 percent of the time" is vying for work with other firms. Often, they're investing company dollars to develop 10-20 ways to present music to a client.

"In the old days, it was just banging on a piano," he said. "These days, you almost have to come up with a final product ... and they (the client) may have 40 to 50 pieces of music to pick from."

Next generation grows the business

Yessian attributes his company's international expansion – including work in Canada, Dubai, Armenia, Germany, Russia and China – to the contributions made by his sons. Brian, chief creative officer, and Michael, head of production, followed in their father's footsteps, taking music lessons as children and making music their life's work.

"The company has diversified because of my sons," Yessian said. "They have propelled us in a way that I hadn't dreamed of."

He is supportive of their efforts, as his parents supported him when he decided to leave the security of a teaching job with Redford Schools and hang out his music shingle in a converted bait shop in Farmington Hills in 1971. Yessian built the business by making calls to ad agencies to "wrangle up some car jingles" during the day, and performing on weekends.

"My sons want to continue expanding internationally," Yessian said. "As a father, you're concerned, are you biting off more than you can chew." Their strategy of starting off with small offices in New York and Germany, he said, has worked well. Yessian Music currently has six staff composers and works with more than 100 freelancers across the country and around the world.

Farmington Hills, though, will always be "home base." In fact, the company is expanding the building it owns on Hamilton Ct.

"The city's been good to us," Yessian said.

America’s Thanksgiving Parade begins Thursday, Nov. 24, at 9:20 a.m. on Woodward Avenue and Mack Avenue, and it will conclude at Woodward Avenue and Congress in downtown Detroit. The parade will be broadcast live on WDIV-TV Channel 4 and on WJR 760 AM.

Correction: Farmington Hills-based Mid American All Star pompon squad will be performing a routine to the music Yessian created for the parade.