One of the great friendships I made during my half-century of covering entertainment personalities was with Hall of Fame song writer Hugh Martin, who lived for many years in North San Diego County, including Encinitas. His most memorable work was for the 1945 Warner Brothers’ Judy Garland film “Meet Me in St. Louis.”
Noted concert pianist Kevin Cole also was a close friend of Hugh. He told me that Since World War II, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” has been the most requested and played songs of the holiday season, even surpassing Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.”
“I’ve seen one of his annual royalty checks … each year they usually run six or seven digits,” Kevin told me several years ago.
The song continues to be a most popular piece at Christmas time, including the present season.
Hugh said he wrote the lyrics for five Broadway musicals: “Best Foot Forward” (1941), “Look Ma, I’m Dancin’!” (1948), “Make a Wish” (1951), “High Spirits” (1964) (music and lyrics, with Timothy Gray) and “Meet Me In St. Louis” (1989), a stage version of the film with an expanded score Hugh and Ralph Blane. He composed the songs for the London West End musical “Love from Judy” (1952).
Hugh was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the son of Ellie Gordon (Robinson) and Hugh Martin, an architect. He attended Birmingham-Southern College, where he studied music.
Martin’s first Broadway credit was as an arranger for the 1937 musical “Hooray for What!”, and he was a vocal or choral arranger for such later Broadway musicals as “The Boys From Syracuse” (1938–39), “Too Many Girls” (1939–40), “DuBarry Was a Lady” (1939–40), “Cabin in the Sky” (1940–41), “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (1949–51), “Top Banana” (1951-52) and “Lorelei” (1974).
He was a vocal arranger for “Sugar Babies” (1979-82).
As a performer, Hugh appeared on Broadway in “Hooray for What!” (1937), “Where Do We Go From Here” (1938) and “Louisiana Purchase” (1940–41).
Ralph Blane was Martin’s songwriting partner for most of his work, and, in 1956, the two recorded an album of their songs entitled “Martin and Blane Sing Martin and Blane” with the Ralph Burns Orchestra. Hugh and Blane were twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song, for “The Trolley Song” in 1944 and for “Pass That Peace Pipe” (co-written by Roger Edens) from the MGM film “Good News” in 1947.
Hugh Martin received four Tony Award nominations, three for “High Spirits” (Best Musical, Best Book Author of a Musical, Best Composer and Lyricist) and one for the 1990 “Meet Me in St. Louis” (Best Original Score).
Hugh’s other film work included songs for the films “Athena” (1954) starring Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds and Vic Damone, and “The Girl Most Likely” (1957) starring Jane Powell, as well as the film version of his Broadway hit “Best Foot Forward” (1943), which starred Lucille Ball.
Hugh collaborated with noted pianist and vocalist Michael Feinstein for a 1995 CD “Michael Feinstein Sings The Hugh Martin Songbook,” an album on which the then 80-year-old songwriter accompanied Feinstein on piano and sang a duet. On an earlier CD, Feinstein recorded the Martin composition, “On Such a Night as This”. In 2006, Hugh released an album of his music called “Hugh Sings Martin” on the record label PS Classics, which drew from his catalog as a composer, lyricist, arranger and singer. The album was released in conjunction with the Library of Congress.
Hugh became a Seventh-day Adventist and spent much of the 1980s as an accompanist for the female gospel vocalist Del Delker on her revival tours; in 2001 he rewrote his most famous song (with the assistance of Garland biographer John Fricke) as a more specifically religious number, “Have Yourself A Blessed Little Christmas,” which was recorded that year by Delker with Hugh, at 86-years-old, playing piano on the recording.
Hugh’s autobiography. “Hugh Martin — The Boy Next Door,” was published in October 2010. He was inducted into the National Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983, and was a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Hugh Martin died on March 11, 2011, in Encinitas at age 96.
So, as we celebrate yet another holiday season, we are surrounded by music of Christmas. Although my friend Hugh Martin is no longer with us, his music will always be here.
Tom Morrow is a longtime Oceanside-based journalist and author.
Columns represent the views of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the North Coast Current’s ownership or management.
