Nacio Herb Brown

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Ignacio Nacio Herb Brown February 22 1896 September 28 1964 was an American writer of popular songs movie scores and Broadway theatre music in the 1920s through the early 1950s Ignacio Herb Brown some sources indicate his birth name was Ignacio Herbert Brown was born in Deming New Mexico to Ignacio and Cora Brown He had an older sister Charlotte In 1901 his family moved to Los Angeles where he attended Manual Arts High School His music education started with instruction from his mother Cora Alice Hopkins Brown Brown first operated a tailoring business 1916 and then became a financially successful realtor but he always wrote and played After his first hit Coral Sea 1920 and first big hit When Buddha Smiles 1921 he eventually became a fulltime composer He joined The American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers ASCAP in 1927 In 1928 he was hired to work in Hollywood by MGM and write film scores for the new medium of sound film For his film work he often collaborated with lyricist Arthur Freed Their music is collected for the most part in Singin in the Rain He appeared in the MGM variety film The Hollywood Revue of 1929 Brown also worked with Richard A Whiting and Buddy De Sylva on Broadway Musicals such as Take a Chance Along with L Wolfe Gilbert Nacio wrote the music for the popular childrens television western Hopalong Cassidy which first aired in 1949 He spent two days in the UCSF Medical Center then died on September 28 1964 in San Francisco California at the home of his children Nacio Jan Brown and Candace Nacio Brown