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Ray Green (1908-1997) was an American composer who created works for dance companies as well as orchestral, choral, and children's pieces. Green was born in Livingston Country, Missouri and began piano lessons at 14. He studied composition as a young man in California with Ernest Bloch, Albert Elkus, and E.G. Stricklen. He also traveled to Paris and studied with Darius Milhaud, Nadia Boulanger and Pierre Monteux. Green received his break after having an entire issue dedicated to his music in Henry Cowell's New Music Quareterly. He concentrated on creating a sound that was distinctly American.

In 1937, Green met his future wife, dancer and choreographer May O'Donnell, for whom he wrote a large number of pieces for dance. These include Of Pioneer Women (1937) and Suspension (1942). He also provided the Martha Graham Dance Company with such works as Processional Dance for Symphonic Band (1938) and American Document (1938). Green's later compositions for dance include Dance Sonata (1953), There Is a Time for Innocence (1983) and Powers of Ten (1983).

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