Johnny Green

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John "Johnny" Waldo Green , also John W. Green or 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 , and arranger Orchestra leader in the field of entertainment and film music.

life and work

Johnny Green grew up in New York City. From 1924 to 1928 he studied economics at Harvard University . Parental will for Green a career on Wall Street . However, he already led a dance orchestra at university and soon after graduating he turned to popular music.

Green wrote arrangements for the dance orchestras of Guy Lombardo , Paul Whiteman and Jean Goldkette . In 1928, his first hit, Coquette , was released, with which the Dorsey Brothers hit the Billboard Top 30 in June of that year . Further hits, which were created primarily in collaboration with the songwriter Edward Heyman , followed in the early 1930s: Among them the later jazz standards Body and Soul (1930), Out of Nowhere (1931), I Cover the Waterfront (1933).

In 1929 Green started as a répétiteur at Paramount Pictures in New York. From 1930 to 1933 he then worked as an orchestra conductor and arranger for Paramount. He also accompanied stars like Gertrude Lawrence and Ethel Merman on the piano.

From 1933 to 1940 Green toured with his own dance big band or led big band appearances in nationally known radio shows, such as Jack Benny , Fred Astaire , the Phillip Morris Show and the Socony Sketchbook Show . During this time he and his dance band recorded a number of titles, mainly from Astaire / Rogers film musicals.

The 1935 music short film Johnny Green & His Orchestra by Warner Brothers Pictures , which shows Green and his dance orchestra. The Jimmy Durante -Musikfilm Start Cheering from 1938 he is also seen with his orchestra.

In 1942 Green went to Hollywood to work for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as an orchestra conductor and composer. Among his film music works were located Broadway Rhythm , Bathing Beauty (1944) and Mexican nights ( Fiesta ) (1947) and two Deanna Durbin musicals, Something in the Wind (1947), Up in Central Park (1948). From 1949 to 1958 Green was general musical director at MGM in Hollywood. He was responsible for a large 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), and character assassination (1963).

After leaving MGM, Green worked for television, conducted various symphony orchestras, such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and wrote or directed film music a. a. for Bye Bye Birdie (1963) and They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969).

Green won five Oscars , for Easter Parade (1949), An American in Paris (1951), for the musical short film Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor (1954), West Side Story (1962) and for Oliver! (1969). He received nominations for a further nine film scores. In addition, his short film Strauss Fantasy was nominated for an Oscar.

For the soundtrack album for West Side Story he received a Grammy in 1962 . In 1972 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame .

Green was married three times: with Carol Falk from 1930 to 1937, with Betty Furness from 1937 to 1943, the marriage had a daughter and with Bunny Waters from 1943 until his death, the marriage had two daughters.

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personal data
SURNAME Green, Johnny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Green, John W.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film composer
DATE OF BIRTH October 10, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City , USA
DATE OF DEATH May 15, 1989
Place of death Beverly Hills , California, USA