Hugh Martin

Hugh Martin (born August 11, 1914 in Birmingham) is a theater and film composer, best remembered for his score for Meet Me In St Louis.

Martin was five when he began studying piano, learning the rudiments of the classical repertoire at the Birmingham Conservatory of Music. He continued his studies at Birmingham-Southern College. After hearing the music of Gershwin, though, he set his sights on popular song and moved to New York in the mid 1930s. Before long he found employment as an arranger and performer, helping score music for Cole Porter's DuBarry Was a Lady (1939), and Vernon Duke's Cabin in the Sky (1940) and singing in Hooray for What? in 1937. He formed a vocal quartet which he called "The Martins", one of which was Ralph Blane, with whom Martin arranged most of their songs.

The Martins appeared on radio programs and as a group in Irving Berlin's Louisiana Purchase (1940). A year later, Rodgers and Abbot chose Martin and Blane to create the songs for their musical Best Foot Forward, starring Nancy Walker. That auspicious beginning led to a long string of hits for the duo, peaking with the score for the 1944 MGM film musical, Meet Me in St Louis, which featured Judy Garland singing, "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song", and the now-classic "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".

For MGM, Martin created musical arrangements for Girl Crazy, Broadway Rhythm, and Presenting Lily Mars, and wrote songs for Ziegfield Follies (1945), Good News (1947) and The Girl Rush (1955). Martin's other Broadway scores include "Look Ma, I'm Dancin'" (1948), "Make a Wish" (1951), "High Spirits" (1964), and the London version of "Love from Judy".

Martin and Blane were twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song, for "The Trolley Song" in 1944, and, along with Roger Edens, for "Pass the Peace Pipe" from Good News. In 1956 the writing duo recorded an album of their own songs, "Martin and Blane Sing Martin and Blane" with the Ralph Burns Orchestra.

After "Meet Me in St Louis" Martin became a close friend of Garland's and accompanied her at many of her concert performances in the 1950's including her legendary stint at the Palace. He also accompanied Eddie Fisher at the Palladium. In 1964 Martin teamed with Timothy Gray to produce the hit musical High Spirits based on Noel Coward's Blithe Spirits. He served as music director for the 1979 hit Sugar Babies with Mickey Rooney.

Martin, a Seventh-day Adventist, spent much of the 1980's as an accompanist for gospel vocalist Del Delker on her revival tours and in 2001 rewrote his most famous song (with the assistance of John Fricke) as a more specifically religious number, "Have Yourself A Blessed Little Christmas" which was recorded that year by Delker with Martin on piano.

Martin remains involved with the world of musical theater. He re-arranged music for the stage version of "Meet Me in St Louis" in 1989 and collaborated with vocalist Michael Feinstein for a 1995 CD "Michael Feinstein Sings the Hugh Martin Songbook", an album on which the then 80-year-old songwriter accompied Feinstein on piano and sang a duet. In 2004 he composed a new opening number for "Best Foot Forward"'s revival by the York Theatre in New York.

Hugh Martin was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983 and into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2001. He resides in Encinitas, California.

External link

• Hugh Martin at IMDB.com
• Martin bio at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame
• Martin bio at the Songwriters Hall of Fame