Warren, Harry

Warren, Harry
orig. Salvatore Guaragna

born Dec. 24, 1893, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.
died Sept. 22, 1981, Los Angeles, Calif.

U.S. songwriter.

The youngest of 12 children, Warren was self-taught musically. He toured with brass bands and carnivals from age 15. After a few years as a song plugger in Tin Pan Alley, he began contributing tunes to Broadway musicals, including "You're My Everything" and "I Found a Million Dollar Baby in a Five-and-Ten-Cent Store." In 1932 he moved to Hollywood, where he collaborated on films such as Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), 42nd Street (1933), Down Argentine Way (1940), and Sun Valley Serenade (1941; with "Chattanooga Choo-Choo"), and he received Academy Awards for the songs "Lullaby of Broadway," "You'll Never Know," and "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe." Between 1935 and 1950 he wrote more top-10 hit songs than any other songwriter.

* * *

▪ American artist
original name  Salvatore Guaragna  
born Dec. 24, 1893, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.
died Sept. 22, 1981, Los Angeles, Calif.

      American songwriter who, by his own estimate, produced 300 to 400 songs from 1922 through 1960, many for Hollywood films and Broadway musical productions.

      Warren received little public attention during his long life, despite three Academy Awards (for “Lullaby of Broadway” in 1935, “You'll Never Know” in 1943, and “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe” in 1946). Nevertheless, he amassed a fortune from his Depression-era contracts with major motion-picture studios and from royalty payments.

      Self-taught musically and the youngest of 12 children, Warren toured with brass bands and carnivals from age 15. He worked as a property man for Vitagraph Studios and later played piano to accompany its silent films. He apprenticed as staff pianist and song promoter for the music publishers Stark & Cowan, who bought his first song, “Rose of the Rio Grande,” in 1922.

      Warren wrote more than 60 popular songs for successful Broadway musicals into the early 1930s, collaborating with lyricists Mort Dixon and Joe Young on The Laugh Parade (1931), which included “You're My Everything,” and with Dixon and Billy Rose on “I Found a Million Dollar Baby in a Five-and-Ten-Cent Store” for Crazy Quilt (1931). In 1932 he moved to Hollywood, entering into a major collaboration with lyricist Al Dubin that lasted through 1939. Together, they created music for such films as Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933; including “We're in the Money”) and 42nd Street (1933; including the title song, as well as “You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me” and “Shuffle Off to Buffalo”). Warren's music fit the needs of the script rather than expressing a particular personal style.

      During the 1940s Warren teamed with lyricist Mack Gordon to produce songs for a number of motion pictures, including Down Argentine Way (1940) and Sun Valley Serenade (1941; “Chattanooga Choo-Choo”). He also wrote “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby” and “Jeepers, Creepers,” to lyrics by Johnny Mercer, as well as music for such films as Marty (1955), An Affair to Remember (1957), Jerry Lewis's The Caddy (1953) and Cinderfella (1960), and Satan Never Sleeps (1962) and the theme for the televison series “The Legend of Wyatt Earp.” He continued to compose but published little music after 1962.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Warren, Harry — orig. Salvatore Guaragna (24 dic. 1893, Brooklyn, N.Y., EE.UU.–22 sep. 1981, Los Ángeles, Cal.). Escritor de canciones estadounidense. El menor de 12 hermanos, fue musicalmente un autodidacto. Desde los 15 años viajó con bandas de bronces y de… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Harry Warren — Datos generales Nombre real Salvatore Antonio Guaragna Nacimiento …   Wikipedia Español

  • Warren — Warren, Informe Warren, John Collins Warren, Robert Penn ► C. del NE de E.U.A., estado de Michigan, suburbio de Detroit; 144 864 h. * * * (as used in expressions) Beatty, (Henry) Warren Henry Warren Beaty William Warren Bradley David Warren… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Harry — Harry, Myriam * * * (as used in expressions) Belafonte, Harry Bertoia, Harry Blackmun, Harry Bridges, Harry Callahan, Harry (Morey) Coase, Ronald (Harry) Cohn, Harry Crick, Francis (Harry Compton) Harry Lillis Crosby Haldeman, H(arry) R(obbins)… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Harry Mathews — (February 14,1930 ) is an American author of various novels, volumes of poetry and short fiction, and essays.Born in New York City to an upper middle class family, Mathews was educated at private schools there and at the Groton School in… …   Wikipedia

  • warren — /wawr euhn, wor /, n. 1. a place where rabbits breed or abound. 2. a building or area containing many tenants in limited or crowded quarters. [1350 1400; ME warenne < AF; OF g(u)arenne < Gmc *warinne game park, equiv. to *war (base of *warjan to… …   Universalium

  • Warren — /wawr euhn, wor /, n. 1. Earl, 1891 1974, U.S. lawyer and political leader: Chief Justice of the U.S. 1953 69. 2. Joseph, 1741 75, American physician, statesman, and patriot. 3. Mercy Otis, 1728 1814, U.S. historian and poet (sister of James… …   Universalium

  • harry — /har ee/, v., harried, harrying. v.t. 1. to harass, annoy, or prove a nuisance to by or as if by repeated attacks; worry: He was harried by constant doubts. 2. to ravage, as in war; devastate: The troops harried the countryside. v.i. 3. to make… …   Universalium

  • Harry — /har ee/, n. a male given name, form of Harold or Henry. * * * (as used in expressions) Belafonte Harry Bertoia Harry Blackmun Harry Bridges Harry Callahan Harry Morey Coase Ronald Harry Cohn Harry Crick Francis Harry Compton Harry Lillis Crosby… …   Universalium

  • Warren Tartaglia (Walid al-Taha) — Warren Tartaglia was a Jazz musician who died as a result of a heroin overdose. He was one of the six founders of the Moorish Orthodox Church of America.Warren, a Pisces, was born March 13, 1944 as Warren Tartaglia in Mt. Vernon, New York. His… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”