Andre Kostelanetz (1901-1980) was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He was a conductor and arranger, known for arranging and recording classical music for mass audiences. Kostelanetz pioneered microphone techniques still used today. He was married three times and had no children.
Meredith Willson (1902-1984) was born Robert Meredith Willson in Mason City, Iowa. Willson’s first career was as a flautist with the John Philip Sousa Band and the New York Philharmonic. He later pursued a career as conductor and music director in both radio and television. Following a stint in the Army during World War II, he saw success with the production of “The Music Man,” for which he wrote the music, lyrics, and the book. He also wrote the musicals “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” “Here’s Love,” and “1491.” He was married three times, to Elizabeth Wilson (divorce), Ralina “Rini” Zarova (her death), and Rosemary Sullivan (his death).
Al Martino was born Jasper Cini in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a singer know for ballads such as “Here in my heart” and “Spanish Eyes.” He achieved further acclaim for his role as Johnny Fontane in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather.”
Arthur Freed (1894-1973) was born Arthur Grossman in Charleston, South Carolina. He was a lyricist and Academy Award-winning film producer, producing such films as “An American in Paris,” “Singin’ in the rain,” and “Meet me in St. Louis.”
Jay Gorney (December 12, 1894 – June 14, 1990), was born Abraham Jacob Gornetzsky in Poland, to a Jewish family. After witnessing the Bialystok pogrom in 1906, his family fled to the United States, where they settled in Detroit, Michigan. Gorney took piano lessons and played in the school orchestra, bars and for silent films.
Gorney studied law and music theory at the University of Michigan, breaking only to serve in the navy during World War I. He practiced law briefly, before relocating to New York City with his first wife. He began his songwriting career on Tin Pan Alley, collaborating with Yip Harburg on numerous songs for Broadway musicals of the 1920s. The pair's most famous song, “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?” was based on a Russian lullaby from Gorney’s childhood. The song debuted in the 1932 Shubert production of New Americana, becoming the anthem of the Great Depression. In the 1940s, he worked at Columbia Pictures as executive producer of musicals and is credited with jumpstarting Shirley Temple’s career.
Gorney was blacklisted for his liberal views during the Cold War.
Gorney's second marriage was to public relations consultant Sondra Karyl (Kattlove). Sondra published Gorney’s biography titled Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? in 2005. He had three children; one with his first wife and two with his second.
Irwin Kostal (1911-1994) was a GRAMMY, Emmy, and Oscar winning American orchestrator and conductor, who orchestrated the music for both film and stage. He was a frequent collaborator with Robert and Richard Sherman, as well as Leonard Bernstein and Steven Sondheim.
Irwin Kostal was born in Chicago in 1911. He started out playing in bands around Chicago. In the 1950s, he moved to television, serving as the orchestrator for shows such as “Your show of shows” and “The Garry Moore Show.” He orchestrated the music for the Broadway and film versions of “West Side Story,” and also worked on “The Sound of Music,” “Mary Poppins,” “Pete’s Dragon,” and “Fiorello!,” among others. He re-recorded the music for “Fantasia” in 1981. Kostal and his wife, Sylvia, had three children.