Birth name Ralph Uriah Hunsecker Education Central High School | Name Ralph Blane | |
![]() | ||
Born July 26, 1914Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA ( 1914-07-26 ) Similar People Hugh Martin, Roger Edens, Judy Garland, Tommy Dorsey, Patrick Quentin |
Ralph blane hugh martin sing about a trolley 1955
Ralph Blane (July 26, 1914 – November 13, 1995) was an American composer, lyricist, and performer.
Contents
- Ralph blane hugh martin sing about a trolley 1955
- Have yourself a merry little christmas ralph blane hugh martin
- Life and career
- References

Have yourself a merry little christmas ralph blane hugh martin
Life and career
Blane was born Ralph Uriah Hunsecker in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, the son of Florence Hazel (Wilborn) and Tracey Mark Hunsecker, grocery store owners. He attended Tulsa Central High School. He began his career as a radio singer for NBC in the 1930s before turning to Broadway, where he was featured in New Faces of 1936, Hooray for What!, and Louisiana Purchase. He contributed the lyrics and music to Best Foot Forward (1941) and Three Wishes for Jamie (1952).
With partner Hugh Martin [although Hugh Martin disputes this, see Songwriting Collaboration Controversy], Blane penned many American standards for the stage and MGM musicals. The team's best-known songs include "The Boy Next Door", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "The Trolley Song", all written for the 1944 film musical Meet Me in St. Louis. Facing the challenge of writing a song about a trolley, the duo visited a public library, and in a book they found the caption "Clang, clang, clang went the trolley", which formed the nucleus for the lyric of their song, which earned them their first Oscar nomination (their second was for "Pass That Peace Pipe", written in collaboration with Roger Edens for the 1947 film adaptation of Good News). Meet Me in St. Louis was adapted for a 1989 Broadway musical of the same name.
Blane also collaborated with Harry Warren, Harold Arlen, and Kay Thompson, among others.
In 1983, Blane was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
He is buried in Broken Arrow's Park Grove Cemetery.