Ray Henderson
Ray Henderson (born December 1, 1896 in Buffalo (New York) , † December 31, 1970 in Greenwich (Connecticut) ) was an American songwriter, pianist, producer and composer of Tin Pan Alley , for Broadway and film.
Act
Henderson studied at the Conservatory in Chicago and then worked as a pianist in dance bands and arranger in New York publishing houses for popular vaudeville music. From 1925 to 1930 he formed a songwriting team with Lew Brown and Buddy DeSylva . Henderson, Brown and DeSylva sold their music publishing company in 1929 when they went to Fox in Hollywood . Her first film was The Singing Fool with Al Jolson (with the hits Sonny Boy , It All Depends on You ) and in 1930 Say It with Songs followed, also with Al Jolson (with Little Pal , Sunny Side Up ). The collaboration with DeSylva and Brown was filmed in 1956 in Fanfare of Joy (The Best Things in Life Are Free) . DeSylva left the team in 1931 and Henderson continued to work with Brown until 1933. He later worked with Sam M. Lewis , Joe Young , Billy Rose , Mort Dixon , Jack Yellen, and Irving Caesar .
On Broadway he had success with George White's Scandals (first in 1925), Good News , Hold Everything! , Follow Thru (1930 also filmed as Just Imagine ), Three Cheers , Flying High , Say When (1934, composed with Ted Koehler ) and the Ziegfeld Follies from 1943.
His songs include That Old Gang of Mine , Alabamy Bound , Annabelle , Bye Bye Blackbird (1925), I'm Sitting on Top of the World (1925), The Best Things in Life Are Free , The Birth of the Blues (1926 ), Button Up Your Overcoat , You Are My Lucky Star , The Varsity Drag (1927), Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue , I'm a Dreamer, Aren't We All , (Keep Your) Sunny Side Up (1929) , The Thrill is Gone , Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries (1931).
In 1942 he became one of the ASCAP directors, which he remained until 1951.
A revue of his music ( It's the Cherries ) was performed in New York City in 2000 ( American Composer Series ).
Henderson was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame .
Web links
- Ray Henderson in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Songwriters Hall of Fame
- Discogs
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Henderson, Ray |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American songwriter and composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 1, 1896 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Buffalo (New York) |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 31, 1970 |
| Place of death | Greenwich (Connecticut) |