Ned Washington

Ned Washington, born Edward Michael Washington on August 15, 1901, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was a prominent American lyricist. He was part of the vaudeville tradition and began his songwriting career with Earl Carroll's Vanities on Broadway in the late 1920s. He joined the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1930. In 1934, MGM signed him and he moved to Hollywood, where he wrote full scores for films. Over the years, Washington collaborated with renowned composers like Hoagy Carmichael, Victor Young, and Dimitri Tiomkin, and contributed to the soundtrack of 'Pinocchio'. He won two Academy Awards for Best Original Song and served as a director of the ASCAP from 1957 until his death on December 20, 1976, due to a heart ailment.