ASCAP Composer/Lyricist Hugh Martin Passes Away

It is with heavy heart that we acknowledge the passing of Hugh Martin, the American musical theater and film composer/lyricist/arranger who brought classic songs like "The Trolley Song," "The Boy Next Door" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" into the Great American Songbook. Martin was 96.

Born in 1914 in Birmingham, Alabama, Martin took classical piano lessons, but gravitated early on to the popular music of his day. After moving to New York, Martin met songwriter Ralph Blane, a fellow cast member in the 1937 Broadway revue, Hooray for What? The two would begin a lifelong creative partnership, yielding immortal songs for such musicals and films as Best Foot Forward, Athena, Good News and Meet Me in St. Louis.

Martin is best remembered for his songs from Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). The film's star Judy Garland debuted "The Trolley Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," both of which would become popular standards soon after the film was released. "The Trolley Song" charted five times between 1944 and 1945, and was recorded by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, João Gilberto and Rufus Wainwright. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" has become a timeless Christmas standard, with popular interpretations by Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, Ella Fitzgerald, James Taylor and countless others. 66 years after it was first heard, the song was #7 on ASCAP's list of the most-performed holiday songs of 2010.

Martin received four Tony nominations (three for High Spirits and one for the 1989 stage adaptation of Meet Me in St. Louis) and two Oscar nominations (one for "The Trolley Song" and another for "Pass the Peace Pipe" from Good News). He was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

The tireless composer was active through his 90s. He played piano and sang along with vocalist Michael Feinstein on the 1995 release Michael Feinstein Sings the Hugh Martin Songbook. A decade later, he teamed up with the Library of Congress for Hugh Sings Martin, an album of Martin performing his own songs. 2010 saw the release of Martin's autobiography Hugh Martin - The Boy Next Door.

He retired to Encinitas, CA in the 1970s. He is survived by his brother Gordon Martin of Birmingham, a number of nieces and nephews, and his longtime manager and caretaker Elaine Harrison.

Read more about Hugh Martin at his website: www.hughmartin.com/