Jay Livingston
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| Jay Livingston | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jacob Harold Levison March 28, 1915  McDonald, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died | October 17, 2001Los Angeles,California, United States |
| Years active | 1937-2001 |
| Spouse(s) | Shirley Mitchell (1992-2001) his death |
Jay Livingston (March 28, 1915 – October 17, 2001) was a partner with Ray Evans in a composing and songwriter duo best known for songs composed for films. Livingston wrote the music and Evans the lyrics.
Livingston was born Jacob Harold Levison in McDonald, Pennsylvania; he was Jewish.[1] Livingston studied piano with Harry Archer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and worked as a musician at local clubs while still in high school. He attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he organized a dance band and met Evans, a fellow student in the band. Their professional collaboration began in 1937. Livingston and Evans won the Academy Award for Best Original Song three times,[2] in 1948 for the song Buttons and Bows, written for the movie The Paleface; in 1950 for the song Mona Lisa, written for the movie Captain Carey; and in 1956 for the song "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," featured in the movie The Man Who Knew Too Much. Livingston and Evans also wrote popular TV themes for shows including Bonanza and Mr. Ed. Livingston and Evans also wrote the immensely popular Christmas song Silver Bells in 1951 for the film The Lemon Drop Kid.
Livingston died in Los Angeles, California, and was interred there in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. His brother, longtime Capitol Records executive Alan W. Livingston, is best known for creating "Bozo the Clown" and signing Frank Sinatra and The Beatles among other legends with Capitol.
[edit] Work on Broadway
- Oh, Captain! (1958) - musical - co-composer and co-lyricist with Ray Evans - Tony Nomination for Best Musical
- Let It Ride (1961) - musical - co-composer and co-lyricist with Ray Evans
- Sugar Babies (1979) - revue - featured songwriter with Ray Evans for "The Sugar Baby Bounce"
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Bloom, Nate (2006-12-19). The Jews Who Wrote Christmas Songs. InterfaithFamily. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
- ^ Spencer Leigh (19 October 2001). Obituary: Jay Livingston. The Independent.
