Timothy Gray (September 5, 1926 – March 17, 2007) was an American songwriter, author, singer and director, remembered for his partnership with

Hugh Martin Hugh Martin (August 11, 1914 – March 11, 2011) was an American musical theater and film composer, arranger, vocal coach, and playwright. He was best known for his score for the 1944 MGM musical '' Meet Me in St. Louis'', in which Judy Garla ...

which produced '' High Spirits'', a musical based on

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

's play, '' Blithe Spirit''.

Biography

Gray, whose birth name was John Baker Gray, was born in Chicago and became a performer in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

at the age of 16. He later performed on Broadway in

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, including ''

As the Girls Go ''As the Girls Go'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music by Jimmy McHugh, lyrics by Harold Adamson and a book by William Roos (writer), William Roos. After an out-of-town tryout at the Opera House in Boston in October 1948, the original Broa ...

'', and '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'', and then television, before becoming a writer and composer. Timothy Gray also wrote the score of the London show '' Love From Judy'' and collaborated on '' High Spirits'' with

. Songs that he composed included "Forever and a Day", "Go and Get Your Old Banjo", "Was She Prettier Than I?", "Home Sweet Heaven", " You'd Better Love Me" and "If I Gave You". For his work on ''High Spirits'', he was nominated for

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...

for Best Author (Musical), Best Composer and Lyricist, and Best Musical. His other Broadway credits were '' Good News'' (1971) as vocal arranger, and the 1974 revival of '' Johnny Johnson'', as producer. Gray died in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

, aged 80, in 2007.

References

Timothy Gray - IMDb profile

Playbill.com obituary, March 26, 2007
1926 births 2007 deaths Songwriters from Illinois Broadway composers and lyricists Singers from Chicago 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers American male songwriters 20th-century American songwriters {{songwriter-stub