Biography for
Ken Darby

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Date of Birth

13 May 1909, Hebron, Nebraska, USA

Date of Death

24 January 1992, Sherman Oaks, California, USA

Birth Name

Kenneth Lorin Darby

Mini Biography

Composer ("How the West Was Won"), songwriter ("Make Mine Music"), choral director, conductor, arranger, singer and author, educated at Christian College and a student of Tibor Serly, Ernst Toch, Herman Hand, and Victor Young.

He originated the King's Men male vocal quartet in 1929 and appeared on radio, films, concerts, television and recordings. Later he led and arranged music for the Ken Darby Singers. He was a writer and production supervisor for Walt Disney Studios, and associate producer of many record albums.

Joining ASCAP in 1946, his chief musical collaborator was Gordon Jenkins. His other popular-song compositions include "The Chool Song," "Love Song of Kalua," "Saga of the Ponderosa," "Ports of Paradise," "Merry Christmas Neighbor," "Endless Prairie," and "Whispering Wind".

IMDb Mini Biography By: Hup234!

Spouse

Vera Matson

(1932 - 24 January 1992) (his death) 2 children

Trivia

His choral group, the Ken Darby Singers, sang backup for Bing Crosby on Crosby's original 78-RPM recording of "White Christmas." This version was not recorded directly from the soundtrack of Holiday Inn (1942), the 1942 movie for which composer Irving Berlin wrote the song. Soundtrack albums for live action films did not come into being until 1947.

Personal Quotes

(When Walt Disney criticized his proposed score for Johnny Appleseed (1948)): "That is just a cross section of one man's opinion."

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