Pete King was born Charles Dudley King, Jr, in Greenfield, OH on August 8, 1914. He was educated at St. George's Preparatory School in Newport, RI, the University of Michigan, and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music where he earned his degree. For ten years he was the arranger and conductor of the Fred Allen Radio Show in New York City. In 1952 he moved to Los Angeles where he began a prolific recording and composing career.

King released more than 25 albums under his own name as the Pete King Chorale and the Pete King Orchestra. He orchestrated, composed and arranged for many movies including South Pacific, Camelot, State Fair, An Affair to Remember, and Dr. Doolittle. He also arranged and composed for television including Happy Days and The Brady Bunch. As a conductor and arranger he worked with Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Pat Boone, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Doris Day, and Julie London. He was the president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and was nominated for five Academy Awards.

Sadly, King's career came to an end in 1974 after he contracted menengitis and lost the ability to hear as a result of the illness. He passed away on September 21, 1982 at the age of 68.