Al Caiola, a versatile guitarist who recorded hit versions of the themes from the westerns “The Magnificent Seven” and “Bonanza” and worked with artists ranging from Buddy Holly to Tony Bennett, died on Nov. 9 in Allendale, N.J. He was 96.
Mr. Caiola (pronounced kay-OH-lah) had Top 40 hits in 1961 with his renditions, on the United Artists label, of those two themes, becoming one of the relatively few artists to reach that plateau with instrumental recordings.
His version of the galloping theme from the NBC western “Bonanza,” which began in 1959 and would end its hugely popular run in 1973, reached No. 19 on the Billboard singles chart. His rendition of the now-classic heroic theme, composed by Elmer Bernstein, from “The Magnificent Seven,” a 1960 film with Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen, reached No. 35.
