Johnny Green
John "Johnny" Waldo Green, John W. Green and John Green ( born October 10, 1908 in New York City; † May 15, 1989 in Beverly Hills, California ) was an American songwriter, big band leader, composer, arranger and orchestra leader in the field of entertainment and film music.
Life and work
Johnny Green grew up in New York City. From 1924-28 he studied at Harvard University economics. The parental will provided for a career on Wall Street for Green. However, he already led at the University of a dance orchestra and turned soon after graduating the entertainment music.
Green wrote arrangements for dance bands of Guy Lombardo, Paul Whiteman and Jean gold chain. 1928 his first hit Coquette was released, with the Dorsey Brothers had a Hiterfolg on the Billboard Top 30 in June of this year. Other hits that exist primarily in collaboration with the lyricist Edward Heyman, followed in the early 1930s: Among the later Jazz Standards Body and Soul (1930 ), Out of Nowhere (1931 ), I Cover the Waterfront ( 1933). 1929 Green began as a rehearsal pianist at Paramount Pictures in New York. From 1930-33 he worked as a conductor and arranger for Paramount. In addition, he accompanied such stars as Gertrude Lawrence and Ethel Merman on the piano.
From 1933-40 Green toured with his own big band dance or big band led performances in nationally known radio shows, so when Jack Benny, Fred Astaire, the Phillip Morris Show and the Socony Sketchbook show. With his dance band he took during this time a number of titles mainly from Astaire / Rogers movie musicals on record. The music short film Johnny Green & His Orchestra by Warner Brothers Pictures, the Green and his dance orchestra dates from shows in 1935. In the Jimmy Durante Music Film Start Cheering of 1938, he is also seen with his orchestra.
1942 Green went to Hollywood to work as a conductor and composer at Metro -Goldwyn- Mayer. Among his film music works, Broadway Rhythm, Bathing Beauty (1944 ) and Mexican Nights ( Fiesta ) (1947 ), and two Deanna Durbin musicals, were Something in the Wind ( 1947), Up in Central Park (1948 ). From 1949 to 1958 Green as musical director (general musical director ) worked at MGM in Hollywood. Under his leadership, a number of film scores, including for the films Summer Stock (1950), Royal Wedding ( 1951), Brigadoon (1954 ), Symphony of the Heart (1954 ), High Society (1956 ), Raintree County ( 1957), character assassination emerged (1963).
After leaving MGM Green worked for television, conducted various symphony orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and wrote or directed film scores, among other things, for Bye Bye Birdie (1963) and They Shoot Horses, Do not They? (1969).
Green won five Oscars, specifically for Easter Parade (1949 ), An American in Paris ( 1952), for the music Short Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor ( 1954), West Side Story (1962 ) and Oliver! (1969). For further nine film scores he received nominations. For the soundtrack album for West Side Story in 1962 he received a Grammy. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.
Green was married three times: with Carol Falk of 1930-37, with Betty Furness from 1937-43, from the marriage of a daughter went forth, and with Bunny Waters from 1943 until his death, from his marriage were born two daughters.