Jimmy van Heusen – composer (b. January 26, 1913 – d. February 6, 1990)

born Edward Chester Babcock, was an American composer and pianist whose songs became part of the repertoire of Broadway, Hollywood, popular music, and jazz. He wrote more than 800 songs, worked with some of the leading lyricists of his generation, and became particularly closely associated with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. Sinatra recorded more songs by Van Heusen than by any other composer. Van Heusen was born on January 26, 1913, in Syracuse, New York. Music was already present in his family: his father, Arthur Babcock, was a building contractor and amateur musician, and his mother, Ida, encouraged his musical interests. Babcock began writing songs while still at school and became involved with local radio while he was a teenager. He developed a reputation for improvising music for listeners and for entertaining audiences with his piano playing. His professional name originated in a rather unexpected way. When Babcock was about sixteen and working in radio in Syracuse, he needed an on-air name. According to the surviving accounts, his friend Ralph Harris saw a Van Heusen collar advertisement/billboard from the Hotel Syracuse, and the name suggested itself. Babcock... Read