Composer/Lyricist Robert Wright Dead at 90
Wright was born on September 25, 1914 in Daytona Beach, Florida. He began studying piano at an early age and met George "Chet" Forrest in high school. The two began a long songwriting collaboration, starting with the writing of their high school song, "Hail to Miami High." In addition to numerous songs for films and cabaret acts, the two wrote the Broadway musicals Timbuktu!, Song of Norway, Magdalena, Kismet, Kean, Gypsy Lady, Grand Hotel and Anya together. Kismet won the Tony for Best Musical and Grand Hotel earned them and collaborator Maury Yeston Tony nominations for Best Score. The team was also honored for their big screen work, receiving three Oscar nominations the first in 1939 for the song "Always and Always" from Mannequin and then for "It's a Blue World" from Music in My Heart and "Pennies for Peppino" from Flying with Music. Forrest died in 1999.