Harold Arlen

A giant of American song, Harold Arlen wrote the music to some of the most enduring musical numbers of the 20th century, including the songs from "The Wizard of Oz," most famously its signature song, "Over the Rainbow," as well as such classic standards as "Get Happy," "Stormy Weather," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Blues in the Night," "That Old Black Magic" and hundreds more. An accomplished arranger and jazz musician in his teens, Arlen began writing songs for the Cotton Club during its heyday in the 1930s before graduating to Broadway and Hollywood. He collaborated with some of the greatest lyricists of his day, from Ira Gershwin and Johnny Mercer to E.A. "Yip" Harburg, who penned the words to his memorable "Oz" songs. His work for feature films was no less memorable, though the films they accompanied rarely met the high standards of his music, save perhaps for "A Star is Born" (1952), which featured "The Man That Got Away." Arlen's work declined along with his health in the late 1960s, though his songs remained evergreen thanks to countless cover versions in nearly every genre of music - from jazz and pop to rock and blues. In a career that spanned over half a decade, Harold Arlen brought swing, bounce, blues and joy to the sound of modern-day America.