Jay Livingston

Jacob " Jay" Harold Levison ( born March 28, 1915 in McDonald, Pennsylvania, † 17 October 2001 in Los Angeles ) was an American composer. Livingston and lyricist Ray Evans were in the 1940s and 1950s, the great songwriter couple in Hollywood.

He studied piano with Harry G. Archer in Pittsburgh and worked during his high school days as a musician in local clubs. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he pulled a dance band, while the other students Ray Evans met. Their professional collaboration began in 1937.

In 1948 she won the Oscar for the song Buttons and Bows in the film The Paleface, 1950 for the song Mona Lisa in the film Captain Carey, USA and 1956 for the song Que Sera, Sera in the Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew too much with Doris Day.

The Million Sellers Mona Lisa was re-recorded by Nat King Cole in 1950.

They also wrote theme songs for television series such as Bonanza (1959) and Mr. Ed ( 1961).

Overall, they had delivered the songs to 50 films, including a dozen Bob Hope comedies. Out of 26 of their songs plates were sold over a million.