Harry Warren | |
|---|---|
 Warren promoting songs on Tin Pan Alley, 1920 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Salvatore Antonio Guaragna |
| Born | December 24, 1893 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | September 22, 1981 (aged 87) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Popular music |
| Occupation | Composer |
| Instrument | Piano |
Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981)[1] was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song eleven times and won three Oscars for composing "Lullaby of Broadway", "You'll Never Know" and "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe". He wrote the music for the first blockbuster film musical, 42nd Street, choreographed by Busby Berkeley, with whom he would collaborate on many musical films.
Over a career spanning six decades, Warren wrote more than 800 songs. Other well known Warren hits included "I Only Have Eyes for You", "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby", "Jeepers Creepers", "The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)", "That's Amore", "There Will Never Be Another You", "The More I See You", "At Last" and "Chattanooga Choo Choo" (the last of which was the first gold record in history). Warren was one of America's most prolific film composers, and his songs have been featured in over 300 films.