Besoyan, Rick

Rick Besoyan was a California-born librettist, composer, director and lyricist.

He was born July 2, 1924 in Reedly, California. In 1928, his family moved to Alameda, California, where he wrote his first song at age twelve. While attending Alameda High School, Besoyan and a few friends wrote and produced a musical, High and dry. He briefly attended the University of California at Berkeley before volunteering for the army in 1942. He served in the Army Special Services Division in Europe and studied piano at the London School of Music while there.

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