Ralph Blane | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ralph Uriah Hunsecker (1914-07-26)July 26, 1914 |
| Died | November 13, 1995(1995-11-13) (aged 81) Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, US |
| Genres | Musical theatre,popular |
| Occupations | |
| 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.
Blane was bornRalph Uriah Hunsecker inBroken Arrow, Oklahoma. He attendedTulsa Central High School.[2] He studied singing withEstelle Liebling in New York City.[3] He began his career as a radio singer forNBC in 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 Martin which 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 andMGM musicals. 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 firstOscar nomination (their second was for "Pass That Peace Pipe", written in collaboration withRoger Edens for the 1947 film adaptation ofGood News).[1]Meet Me in St. Louis was 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 Disney World's Christmas Candlelight Processional.George Kennedy narrated the Christmas Story during the performances.
He is buried in Broken Arrow's Park Grove Cemetery.
