Vincent Youmans
Vincent Millie Youmans (September 27, 1898 – April 5, 1946) was an influential American Broadway composer and producer. Born in New York City into a prosperous family of hat makers, Youmans initially pursued engineering at Yale University but left to work as a runner for a Wall Street brokerage firm. His career took a significant turn when he was drafted into the Navy during World War I, where he developed an interest in theater by producing troop shows.
After the war, Youmans worked as a Tin Pan Alley song-plugger and a rehearsal pianist for Victor Herbert’s operettas. His breakthrough came in 1921 with the Broadway score for "Two Little Girls in Blue," co-written with lyricist Ira Gershwin. This success led to a contract with T. B. Harms and further collaborations with top lyricists such as Irving Caesar, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Otto Harbach.
Youmans' most celebrated work was the musical "No, No, Nanette" (1925), which included the hit songs "Tea for Two" and "I Want to Be Happy," both of which became standards. His style evolved from concise melodic phrases to more extended and rhapsodic lines, and despite publishing fewer than 100 songs, 18 were recognized as standards by ASCAP.
In 1927, Youmans began producing his own Broadway shows, achieving success with "Hit the Deck!" which featured popular songs like "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Hallelujah." Although subsequent productions were less successful, his songs continued to resonate, with hits like "Great Day" and "Without a Song."
Youmans also contributed to film, writing the score for "Flying Down to Rio" (1933), which introduced Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as a dance duo. Despite his early death at 47 in Denver, Colorado, Youmans left a lasting legacy in American musical theater.
App
