About
Composer of Sleigh Ride, Blue Tango, The Syncopated Clock, and other pieces of light concert music.
Before Fame
He studied at the New England Conservatory of Music early on. He later studied harmony with Walter Spalding, counterpoint with Edward Ballantine, and composition with Walter Piston at Harvard University.
Trivia
He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1988 and was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Family Life
He married Eleanor Firke in 1942. The couple had four children together.
Associated With
His piece Plink, Plank, Plunk! was the theme for the CBS panel show I've Got a Secret for many years, which was hosted by Garry Moore.
