Love On A Greyhound Bus

Ralph Blane (1914-1998), George Stoll (1905-1985), and Kay Thompson (1909-1998)

Another great forgotten song, and what a crew of composers! Ralph Blane, along with his partner Hugh Martin, are credited with writing “The Trolley Song,” “The Boy Next Store,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (though Martin says he wrote them by himself).

George Stoll was another songwriter who’d been a violin prodigy. As a jazz violinist, he played with Bing Crosby among others. He was musical director at MGM for many years, and hired the first black arranger there, Calvin Jackson, with whom he wrote the score of Anchors Aweigh. After he died, his Amati violin sold for $625,000, the highest price paid for an Amati at the time.

Kay Thompson was an American author, singer, vocal arranger, vocal coach, composer, dancer, and actress. She co-invented the Lucky Strike Hit Parade with the conductor Lennie Hayton in 1935. It played the top ten songs every week and later moved to television. She also wrote the Eloise children’s books. When asked if the character was based on the young Liza Minelli, she replied, “I am Eloise!” She was also mentor of the young Andy Williams in the 50’s and early 60s. Williams, half her age, said in his 2009 memoir that they had had a secret affair. Go, Kay! Go Andy!