Green, Johnny, 1908-1989

Conductor, arranger, and composer Johnny Green, Harvard AB 1928, achieved early fame as a songwriter and orchestra leader in the 1920s and 1930s. Among his most well known original compositions are such songs as Body and soul; Out of nowhere; and I cover the waterfront. Beginning in 1942, he served for the next three decades as music director for several Hollywood motion picture studios, chiefly Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In the course of his career, he won Academy Awards for his work orchestrating, arranging, and conducting music for the following films: Easter parade; An American in Paris; West side story; and Oliver!. He also won an Academy Award for MGM's Concert hall, a short-subject series. In addition to his work in films, Green composed and conducted for radio and television; he was a board member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and guest conductor for a number of symphony orchestras, inlcuding the Hollywood Bowl.

Conductor, arranger, and composer Johnny Green, Harvard AB 1928, achieved early fame as a songwriter and orchestra leader in the 1920s and 1930s. Among his most well known original compositions are such songs as Body and Soul, Out of Nowhere, and I Cover the Waterfront . Beginning in 1942, he served for the next three decades as music director for several Hollywood motion picture studios, chiefly Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In the course of his career, he won Academy Awards for his work orchestrating, arranging, and conducting music for the following films: Easter Parade ; An American in Paris ; West Side Story ; and Oliver! . He also won an Academy Award for MGM's Concert Hall, a short-subject series. In addition to his work in films, Green composed and conducted for radio and television; he was a board member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and guest conductor for a number of symphony orchestras, inlcuding the Hollywood Bowl.

Johnny Green was born in 1908 in Far Rockaway, New York. He received a BA from Harvard University in 1928 and later completed a MA in English. He was an arranger, composer and conductor for motion pictures and television from the 1930s through the 1970s. In 1961 he was conductor and music supervisor for the film version of "West Side Story".

Conductor, arranger, and composer Johnny Green, Harvard AB 1928, achieved early fame as a songwriter and orchestra leader in the 1920s and 1930s. Among his most well known original compositions are such songs as "Body and soul", "Out of nowhere", and "I cover the waterfront". Beginning in 1942, he served for the next three decades as music director for several Hollywood motion picture studios, chiefly Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In the course of his career, he won Academy Awards for his work orchestrating, arranging, and conducting music for the following films: Easter parade ; An American in Paris ; West side story ; and Oliver! . He also won an Academy Award for The merry wives of Windsor overture, a subject in MGM's Concert hall series. In addition to his work in films, Green composed and conducted for radio and television; he was a board member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and guest conductor for a number of symphony orchestras, including the Hollywood Bowl.

American composer.