Composer ("How the West Was Won"), songwriter ("Make Mine Music"),
choral director, conductor, arranger, singer and author, educated at
Christian College and a student of Tibor Serly, Ernst Toch, Herman
Hand, and Victor Young.
He originated
The King's Men male vocal quartet in
1929 and appeared on radio, films, concerts, television and recordings.
Later he led and arranged music for the
Ken Darby Singers. He was a
writer and production supervisor for Walt Disney Studios, and associate
producer of many record albums.
Joining ASCAP in 1946, his chief musical collaborator was
Gordon Jenkins. His other popular-song
compositions include "The Chool Song," "Love Song of Kalua," "Saga of
the Ponderosa," "Ports of Paradise," "Merry Christmas Neighbor,"
"Endless Prairie," and "Whispering Wind".