Ralph Blane
Ralph Blane | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ralph Uriah Hunsecker |
| Born | July 26, 1914 Broken Arrow, Oklahoma,US |
| Died | November 13, 1995(aged 81) Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, US |
| Genres | Musical theatre,popular |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Formerly of | Hugh Martin,Harry Warren,Harold Arlen,Kay Thompson |
Ralph Blane(July 26, 1914 – November 13, 1995)[1]was an Americancomposer,lyricist,and performer.
Life and career
[edit]Blane was bornRalph Uriah HunseckerinBroken Arrow, Oklahoma.He attendedTulsa Central High School.[2]He studied singing withEstelle Lieblingin New York City.[3]He began his career as a radio singer forNBCin the 1930s before turning toBroadway,where he was featured inNew Faces of 1936(1936),Hooray for What!(1937), andLouisiana Purchase(1940).[1]In 1940 he formed a vocal quartet ( "The Martins" ) with his friendHugh Martinwhich performed on radio and in nightclubs.[1]
Martin and Blane formed a songwriting partnership.[1]Together they wrote music and lyrics toBest Foot Forward(1941) andThree Wishes for Jamie(1952). The duo penned many American standards for the stage andMGMmusicals. The team's best-known songs include "The Boy Next Door","Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"and"The Trolley Song",all written for the 1944 film musicalMeet Me in St. Louis.Facing the challenge of writing a song about a trolley, the duo visited apublic library,and in a book they found the caption "Clang, clang, clang went the trolley", which formed the nucleus for the lyric of their song, which earned them their firstOscarnomination (their second was for "Pass That Peace Pipe", written in collaboration withRoger Edensfor the 1947 film adaptation ofGood News).[1]Meet Me in St. Louiswas adapted for a1989 Broadway musical of the same name.
Blane also collaborated withHarry Warren,Harold Arlen,andKay Thompson,among others.
In 1983, Blane was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame.[4]
In 1991, Blane sang "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" at The Magic Kingdom in performances ofWalt DisneyWorld's Christmas Candlelight Processional.George Kennedynarrated the Christmas Story during the performances.
He is buried in Broken Arrow's Park Grove Cemetery.
References
[edit]- ^abcdeIan Brookes (25 July 2013). "Blane, Ralph [Hunsecker, Ralph Uriah]".Grove Music Online(8th ed.).Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2240236.ISBN978-1-56159-263-0.
- ^"Alumni Named to Central High Hall of Fame",Tulsa World,November 3, 1991.
- ^Dean Fowler, Alandra (1994).Estelle Liebling: An exploration of her pedagogical principles as an extension and elaboration of the Marchesi method, including a survey of her music and editing for coloratura soprano and other voices(PhD).University of Arizona.
- ^"Songwriters Hall of Fame".
External links
[edit]
- Ralph Blaneat theInternet Broadway Database
- Ralph BlaneatIMDb
- Musicmatch.com – Ralph Blane Biography.Archived fromoriginalJune 21, 2003.
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Blane, Ralph
- Ralph BlaneatFind a Grave
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
- 1914 births
- 1995 deaths
- Central High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma) alumni
- American male composers
- American musical theatre composers
- American musical theatre lyricists
- Broadway composers and lyricists
- People from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
- Songwriters from Oklahoma
- 20th-century American composers
- 20th-century American male musicians
- American male songwriters
- 20th-century American songwriters