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{{short description|American songwriter}}
{{short description|American songwriter (1915–2001)}}

{{for|the Massachusetts politician|Jay Livingstone}}
{{for|the Massachusetts politician|Jay Livingstone}}

{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Jay Livingston
| name = Jay Livingston
| image = Jay Livingston photo.jpg
| image = Jay Livingston photo.jpg
| caption = ''The face that sang, "I am Mister Ed" every Sunday night on CBS. ''
| caption = Livingston
| birth_name = Jacob Harold Levison
| birth_name = Jacob Harold Levison
| birth_date = March 28, 1915
| birth_date = March 28, 1915
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}}
}}


'''Jay Livingston''' (born '''Jacob Harold Levison''', March 28, 1915 – October 17, 2001) was an American [[composer]] best known as half of a song-writing duo with [[Ray Evans]] that specialized in songs composed for [[film]]s. Livingston wrote music and Evans the [[lyrics]].
'''Jay Livingston''' (born '''Jacob Harold Levison'''; March 28, 1915 – October 17, 2001) was an American [[composer]] best known as half of a song-writing duo with [[Ray Evans]] that specialized in songs composed for [[film]]s. Livingston wrote music and Evans the [[lyrics]].


==Early life and career==
==Early life and career==
Livingston was born in [[McDonald, Pennsylvania]] to [[Jews|Jewish]] parents.<ref name="Tormé">{{cite web |first=Nate |last=Bloom |author-link=Nate Bloom | title=The Jews Who Wrote Christmas Songs| publisher =InterfaithFamily| date =2006-12-19 | url =http://www.interfaithfamily.com/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=ekLSK5MLIrG&b=297399&ct=3303147| access-date =2006-12-19 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|first=Nate |last=Bloom |author-link=Nate Bloom |title=All those Holiday/Christmas Songs: So Many Jewish Songwriters!|publisher=[[Jewish World Review]]|date=December 22, 2014|url=http://jewishworldreview.com/1214/jewz_xmas.php3}}</ref> He had an older sister, Vera, and a younger brother, [[Alan W. Livingston]], who became an executive with [[Capitol Records]], and later with [[NBC]] television.
Livingston was born in [[McDonald, Pennsylvania]] to [[Jews|Jewish]] parents.<ref name="Tormé">{{cite web |first=Nate |last=Bloom |author-link=Nate Bloom | title=The Jews Who Wrote Christmas Songs| publisher =InterfaithFamily| date =2006-12-19 | url =http://www.interfaithfamily.com/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=ekLSK5MLIrG&b=297399&ct=3303147| access-date =2006-12-19 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|first=Nate |last=Bloom |author-link=Nate Bloom |title=All those Holiday/Christmas Songs: So Many Jewish Songwriters!|publisher=[[Jewish World Review]]|date=December 22, 2014|url=http://jewishworldreview.com/1214/jewz_xmas.php3}}</ref> He had an older sister, Vera, and a younger brother, [[Alan W. Livingston]], who became an executive with [[Capitol Records]], and later with [[NBC]] television.


Livingston studied [[piano]] with Harry Archer in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]. He attended the [[University of Pennsylvania]], where he organized a dance band and met Evans, a fellow student in the band. Though they began writing together in 1937, Livingston and Evans did not hit the top until 1946, when they set the music publishing business on fire with "[[To Each His Own (Jay Livingston and Ray Evans song)|To Each His Own]]," which reached number one on the Billboard charts for three different artists<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 24, 1948 |title=Ten tunes in forthcoming films |pages=22 |work=Long Beach Press Telegram Newspaper Archives |url=https://www.newspapers.com/paper/long-beach-press-telegram/26587/ |access-date=Jan 13, 2023}}</ref>, and occupied the top five positions on the "Most Played On the Air" chart for four different weeks (August 24, 1946, and again on September 7, September 14 and October 5, five versions appeared simultaneously in the Top Ten)<ref name=BBOct5>{{cite news|title=Records Most Played on the Air|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ARoEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|access-date= May 14, 2016|work=Billboard|date=October 5, 1946|page=24}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Records Most Played on the Air|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ChoEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|access-date= March 27, 2017|work=Billboard|date=September 14, 1946|page=26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Records Most Played on the Air|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBoEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|access-date= March 27, 2017|work=Billboard|date=September 7, 1946|page=28 and 116}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Records Most Played on the Air|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ABoEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|access-date= March 27, 2017|work=Billboard|date=August 24, 1946|page=27 and 112}}</ref>. "[[Buttons and Bows]]" (1947) was their next multi-million seller, with four artists reaching the top ten in 1948, and won the Academy Award for Best Song. They finished off the decade with 1949's "[[Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole song)|Mona Lisa]]", which was a chart hit for seven popular and two country artists in 1950, sold a million for Nat King Cole, and won the pair another Best Song Oscar.<ref name=PopMemories>{{cite book|last1=Whitburn|first1=Joel|title=Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954|date=1986|publisher=Record Research Inc|location=Wisconsin, USA|isbn=0-89820-083-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/551 551]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/551}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Ray & Wyn Ritchie Evans Foundation {{!}} The official website of Ray Evans, American songwriter, Livingston and Evans, Music, Archives, Films |url=http://www.rayevans.org/biography/honors_awards.cfm |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.rayevans.org}}</ref> Their third Oscar came in 1956 for the song "[[Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)]]," featured in the movie ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]''. They also wrote "Tammy" for the movie ''[[Tammy and the Bachelor]]'' in 1957.
Livingston studied [[piano]] with Harry Archer in [[Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]. He attended the [[University of Pennsylvania]], where he organized a dance band and met Evans, a fellow student in the band. Though they began writing together in 1937, Livingston and Evans did not hit the top until 1946, when they set the music publishing business on fire with "[[To Each His Own (Jay Livingston and Ray Evans song)|To Each His Own]]," which reached number one on the ''Billboard'' charts for three different artists,<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 24, 1948 |title=Ten tunes in forthcoming films |pages=22 |work=Long Beach Press Telegram Newspaper Archives |url=https://www.newspapers.com/paper/long-beach-press-telegram/26587/ |access-date=Jan 13, 2023}}</ref> and occupied the top five positions on the "Most Played On the Air" chart for four different weeks (August 24, 1946, and again on September 7, September 14 and October 5, five versions appeared simultaneously in the Top Ten).<ref name=BBOct5>{{cite magazine|title=Records Most Played on the Air|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ARoEAAAAMBAJ|access-date= May 14, 2016|magazine=Billboard|date=October 5, 1946|page=24}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Records Most Played on the Air|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ChoEAAAAMBAJ|access-date= March 27, 2017|magazine=Billboard|date=September 14, 1946|page=26}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Records Most Played on the Air|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBoEAAAAMBAJ|access-date= March 27, 2017|magazine=Billboard|date=September 7, 1946|page=28 and 116}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Records Most Played on the Air|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ABoEAAAAMBAJ|access-date= March 27, 2017|magazine=Billboard|date=August 24, 1946|page=27 and 112}}</ref> "[[Buttons and Bows]]" (1947) was their next multi-million seller, with four artists reaching the top ten in 1948, and won the Academy Award for Best Song. They finished off the decade with 1949's "[[Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole song)|Mona Lisa]]", which was a chart hit for seven popular and two country artists in 1950, sold a million for Nat King Cole, and won the pair another Best Song Oscar.<ref name=PopMemories>{{cite book|last1=Whitburn|first1=Joel|title=Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954|date=1986|publisher=Record Research Inc|location=Wisconsin, USA|isbn=0-89820-083-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/551 551]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/551}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Ray & Wyn Ritchie Evans Foundation {{!}} The official website of Ray Evans, American songwriter, Livingston and Evans, Music, Archives, Films |url=http://www.rayevans.org/biography/honors_awards.cfm |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.rayevans.org}}</ref> Their third Oscar came in 1956 for the song "[[Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)]]," featured in the movie ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]''. They also wrote "Tammy" for the movie ''[[Tammy and the Bachelor]]'' in 1957.


Livingston and Evans wrote popular TV themes for shows including ''[[Bonanza]]'' and ''[[Mister Ed]]'', which Livingston sang.<ref>{{cite news |title=Livingston Obituary |date=October 18, 2001 |work=All Things Considered |publisher=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1131668}}</ref> They also wrote the [[Christmas]] song "[[Silver Bells]]" in 1951, for the film ''[[The Lemon Drop Kid]]'', initially calling it "Tinkle Bells" but changed it to "Silver" because of a common connotation of "tinkle", as well as "Never Let Me Go" for the 1956 film ''[[The Scarlet Hour]]''. Johnny Mathis sang Livingston's song "[[All the Time (Johnny Mathis song)|All The Time]]," among others.
Livingston and Evans wrote popular TV themes for shows including ''[[Bonanza]]'' and ''[[Mister Ed]]'', which Livingston sang.<ref>{{cite news |title=Livingston Obituary |date=October 18, 2001 |work=All Things Considered |publisher=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1131668}}</ref> They also wrote the [[Christmas]] song "[[Silver Bells]]" in 1951, for the film ''[[The Lemon Drop Kid]]'', initially calling it "Tinkle Bells" but changed it to "Silver" because of a common connotation of "tinkle", as well as "Never Let Me Go" for the 1956 film ''[[The Scarlet Hour]]''. [[Johnny Mathis]] sang Livingston's song "[[All the Time (Johnny Mathis song)|All The Time]]," among others.


Livingston appeared as himself with Evans in the New Year's Eve party scene of the 1950 film ''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]]'', which featured his future sister-in-law, [[Nancy Olson]].
Livingston appeared as himself with Evans in the New Year's Eve party scene of the 1950 film ''[[Sunset Boulevard (film)|Sunset Boulevard]]'', which featured his future sister-in-law, [[Nancy Olson]].
Line 32: Line 32:


==Death==
==Death==
Livingston died in [[Los Angeles]] and was interred there in [[Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary|Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery]], his tombstone reading, "Que Será, Será".<ref>Sam Staggs, ''[https://books.google.ca/books?id=dYVOlGOv9jEC&pg=PT154&lpg=PT154#v=onepage&q=jay%20livingston%20westwood%20memorial Born to be Hurt: The Untold Story of Imitation of Life]'' (2009), p. 216.</ref>
Livingston died in [[Los Angeles]] and was interred there in [[Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary|Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery]], his tombstone reading, "Que Será, Será".<ref>Sam Staggs, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=dYVOlGOv9jEC&q=jay+livingston+westwood+memorial&pg=PT154 Born to be Hurt: The Untold Story of Imitation of Life]'' (2009), p. 216.</ref>


His wife, actress [[Shirley Mitchell]], died on November 11, 2013, at 94.
His wife, actress [[Shirley Mitchell]], died on November 11, 2013, at 94.
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*{{YouTube|id=gF9XHAg5yao#t=2524}} (begins at 41:32) appearance with Chuck Schaden and members of the Gildersleeve cast: Willard Waterman, Mary Lee Robb and Shirley Mitchell. Songwriter Jay Livingston (Shirley's husband) entertains with a mini- concert featuring his many hit songs. Recorded at the Museum of Broadcast Communications, Chicago. (113 minutes).
*{{YouTube|id=gF9XHAg5yao#t=2524}} (begins at 41:32) appearance with Chuck Schaden and members of the Gildersleeve cast: Willard Waterman, Mary Lee Robb and Shirley Mitchell. Songwriter Jay Livingston (Shirley's husband) entertains with a mini- concert featuring his many hit songs. Recorded at the Museum of Broadcast Communications, Chicago. (113 minutes).
*[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/jay-livingston Jay Livingston Interview] NAMM Oral History Library (1995)
*[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/jay-livingston Jay Livingston Interview] NAMM Oral History Library (1995)
*[https://livingstonandevans.com/ Livingston and Evans Official Site]


{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1941–1950}}
{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1941–1950}}
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[[Category:Jewish American songwriters]]
[[Category:Jewish American songwriters]]
[[Category:Male musical theatre composers]]
[[Category:Male musical theatre composers]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania state historical marker significations]]
[[Category:People from McDonald, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:People from McDonald, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Songwriters from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Songwriters from Pennsylvania]]
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[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:American male songwriters]]
[[Category:American male songwriters]]
[[Category:20th-century American songwriters]]

Latest revision as of 13:43, 10 April 2024

For the Massachusetts politician, see Jay Livingstone.
Jay Livingston
Livingston
Born
Jacob Harold Levison

March 28, 1915
McDonald, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedOctober 17, 2001(2001-10-17) (aged 86)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania
OccupationComposer
Years active1937–2001
Spouse(s)Lynne Gordon (1947–1991; her death; 1 child)
Shirley Mitchell (1992–2001; his death)

Jay Livingston (born Jacob Harold Levison; March 28, 1915 – October 17, 2001) was an American composer best known as half of a song-writing duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for films. Livingston wrote music and Evans the lyrics.

Early life and career[edit]

Livingston was born in McDonald, Pennsylvania to Jewish parents.[1][2] He had an older sister, Vera, and a younger brother, Alan W. Livingston, who became an executive with Capitol Records, and later with NBC television.

Livingston studied piano with Harry Archer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he organized a dance band and met Evans, a fellow student in the band. Though they began writing together in 1937, Livingston and Evans did not hit the top until 1946, when they set the music publishing business on fire with "To Each His Own," which reached number one on the Billboard charts for three different artists,[3] and occupied the top five positions on the "Most Played On the Air" chart for four different weeks (August 24, 1946, and again on September 7, September 14 and October 5, five versions appeared simultaneously in the Top Ten).[4][5][6][7] "Buttons and Bows" (1947) was their next multi-million seller, with four artists reaching the top ten in 1948, and won the Academy Award for Best Song. They finished off the decade with 1949's "Mona Lisa", which was a chart hit for seven popular and two country artists in 1950, sold a million for Nat King Cole, and won the pair another Best Song Oscar.[8][9] Their third Oscar came in 1956 for the song "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)," featured in the movie The Man Who Knew Too Much. They also wrote "Tammy" for the movie Tammy and the Bachelor in 1957.

Livingston and Evans wrote popular TV themes for shows including Bonanza and Mister Ed, which Livingston sang.[10] They also wrote the Christmas song "Silver Bells" in 1951, for the film The Lemon Drop Kid, initially calling it "Tinkle Bells" but changed it to "Silver" because of a common connotation of "tinkle", as well as "Never Let Me Go" for the 1956 film The Scarlet Hour. Johnny Mathis sang Livingston's song "All The Time," among others.

Livingston appeared as himself with Evans in the New Year's Eve party scene of the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, which featured his future sister-in-law, Nancy Olson.

Honors[edit]

Livingston is an inductee in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[11] In 2004, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission installed a historical marker in McDonald, Pennsylvania, commemorating his achievements.[12]

Death[edit]

Livingston died in Los Angeles and was interred there in Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery, his tombstone reading, "Que Será, Será".[13]

His wife, actress Shirley Mitchell, died on November 11, 2013, at 94.

Work on Broadway[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bloom, Nate (2006-12-19). "The Jews Who Wrote Christmas Songs". InterfaithFamily. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  2. ^ Bloom, Nate (December 22, 2014). "All those Holiday/Christmas Songs: So Many Jewish Songwriters!". Jewish World Review.
  3. ^ "Ten tunes in forthcoming films". Long Beach Press Telegram Newspaper Archives. April 24, 1948. p. 22. Retrieved Jan 13, 2023.
  4. ^ "Records Most Played on the Air". Billboard. October 5, 1946. p. 24. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  5. ^ "Records Most Played on the Air". Billboard. September 14, 1946. p. 26. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  6. ^ "Records Most Played on the Air". Billboard. September 7, 1946. p. 28 and 116. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  7. ^ "Records Most Played on the Air". Billboard. August 24, 1946. p. 27 and 112. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 551. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  9. ^ "The Ray & Wyn Ritchie Evans Foundation | The official website of Ray Evans, American songwriter, Livingston and Evans, Music, Archives, Films". www.rayevans.org. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  10. ^ "Livingston Obituary". All Things Considered. NPR. October 18, 2001.
  11. ^ "Songwriters Hall of Fame - Barry Gibb Exhibit Home". songwritershalloffame.org. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  12. ^ "Jay Livingston (1915-2001) - PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  13. ^ Sam Staggs, Born to be Hurt: The Untold Story of Imitation of Life (2009), p. 216.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jay_Livingston&oldid=1218223745"