An enchanting jaunt through the Golden Era of Broadway and the MGM musicals. Captures the energy and excitement of those special times, with eyewitness tales of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Ethel Merman, Jimmy Durante, Carmen Miranda, Lena Horne, Bea Lillie, Cole Porter, Noel Coward, Rodgers and Hart, Irving Berlin, Josh Logan, Vicente Minnelli, Liza Minnelli, and dozens more. Hugh recounts the origins of some of America’s most beloved songs, such as “The Boy Next Door,” “The Trolley Song,” and perennial favorite “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Martin also reveals some secrets that only he could know: the truth about his so-called collaboration with Ralph Blane, his addiction to the drugs of the infamous Dr. Feelgood, Max Jacobson, how he was instrumental in giving Gene Kelly the opportunity to show Broadway that he was a great choreographer in addition to a great performer, and what it was like to be part of the MGM “Dream Factory.” As Hugh enters his 96th year, this could be the last chance to hear stories from a living source. They are full of his signature charm, grace, musicality, and poeticism. Hugh Martin: The Boy Next Door, like Hugh Martin himself, is a national treasure.
Reviews
“As Alec Wilder told us nearly 40 years ago, Hugh Martin is one of the ‘great innovators’ in American popular song. His witty, elegant memoir is long overdue, and my hope is that it will inspire a thorough exploration of his work for both Broadway and Hollywood. In our age of dumbed-down music and lyrics, how marvelous it is to find a songwriter who has never strayed from his ultra-civilised and irresistibly sweet (and swinging) muse.” - Bill Rudman, host of Sirius XM’s “On the Aisle” and director of The Musical Theater Project
“Every time I've interviewed Hugh Martin, I've wanted to read his memoir--only to be reminded he didn't have one. Thank goodness he's finally written a book that tells the stories behind songs I love.”
- Terry Gross
“For any young person who has a passion to enter into the performing arts, this is the ultimate book to read. Hugh Martin is the single most talented and finest human being I know.”
- Tony Bennett
“Hugh is one of the greatest treasures we have in the music industry.” - Mickey Rooney
Author description
Hugh Martin (born August 11, 1914) is an American musical theater and film composer, arranger, and vocal coach. He is best known for his score for the classic 1944 MGM musical Meet Me In St. Louis, in which Judy Garland sang three Martin songs, "The Boy Next Door," “The Trolley Song,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” The last of these has become a Christmas season standard in the United States and around the English-speaking world and is widely considered one of the greatest Christmas songs of all-time. Martin became a close friend of Garland and was her accompanist in the 1950s including her legendary stint at the Palace. Hugh Martin is quite possibly the last original source for stories of the Golden Era of Broadway and Hollywood musicals. He lives in Encinitas, California.
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