Harry Owens
Harry Owens (born April 18, 1902 in O'Neill , Nebraska , † December 12, 1986 in Eugene ) was an American composer . Owen's most famous work is the song Sweet Leilani from the Waikiki Wedding soundtrack . Owens won an Oscar for the song .
life and work
Owens learned cornet in his youth and initially studied law, but dropped out without a degree. In 1923 he wrote the song Linger Awhile with Vincent Rose , which was a millionaire for Paul Whiteman the following year . His first engagement in the film industry was the film The Jazz King in 1930. Four years later Owens took over the musical direction of the orchestra at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki . Owen's first daughter Leilani was born in Hawaii, for whom he wrote the lullaby Sweet Leilani . He played the song with the hotel orchestra at the evening dance events. One evening Bing Crosby was among the guests. Preparing for the film Waikiki Wedding , Crosby was so excited by Owen's song about Leilani that he suggested it to Paramount Pictures for the film. The song made it into the film, was sung by Bing Crosby and won the 1938 Oscar for " Best Song ". The song was hugely successful and became Crosby's first release to hit the 1 million sales mark.
Owens was then hired as a composer for the film Cocoanut Grove with Fred MacMurray . He wrote three songs for the soundtrack and appeared in a small role as the band leader "Hula Harry".
In 1957 Owens released the album Voice Of The Trade Winds with his orchestra Harry Owens & His Royal Hawaiian Orchestra .
Web links
- Harry Owens in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Harry Owens at Discogs (English)
- Harry Owens on the homepage of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
- Mike Gordon: Harry Owens , The Honolulu Advertiser, July 2, 2006, accessed January 6, 2012.
Individual evidence
- ^ Kristin Lawler: Radical: The image of the surfer and the politics of popular culture , University of New York, 2008; Pp. 117 and 120. here online at books.google, accessed on January 6, 2012.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Owens, Harry |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 18, 1902 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | O'Neill , Nebraska , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 12, 1986 |
| Place of death | Eugene , Oregon , United States |