Harold Arlen

A key contributor to the Great American Songbook, composer Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluk) penned hundreds of pop tunes, many of which were runaway hits during the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. Although the New York City-based musician sometimes wrote songs on his own, he often collaborated with other lyricists, most famously Ted Koehler (“Stormy Weather”), Johnny Mercer (“Come Rain or Come Shine”), and E.Y. Harburg (THE WIZARD OF OZ). While any number of Arlen’s compositions assured his prominent place in musical history, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) deemed OZ’s gorgeous “Over the Rainbow” to be the 20th century’s greatest song.