Jay Blackton

Jay Blackton (March 25, 1909 – January 8, 1994) was an American composer and conductor. In 1956 he won an Academy Award in the category Best Scoring of a Musical Picture for the film Oklahoma! and was also nominated for Guys and Dolls. He was the music director, orchestrator or arranger for more than 25 Broadway productions and national tours.

Born Jay Schwartzdorf in New York City, he studied piano and conducting at the Juilliard School. He began his career in opera, as an assistant conductor at New York Opera Comique and then as the conductor at St. Louis Municipal Opera from 1937 to 1942. In 1943 Rodgers and Hammerstein hired him to orchestrate and conduct Oklahoma! on Broadway, and he followed this engagement as music director and often orchestrator or arranger of such musicals as Annie Get Your Gun, Call Me Madam, Guys and Dolls, Hello, Dolly! and George M!. In addition, he toured with Bob Hope and others.

Blackton died in January 1994 of heart failure at the Granada Hills Community Hospital in Granada Hills, California, at the age of 84.

Birth and Death Data: Born March 25, 1909 (New York City), Died January 8, 1994 (Los Angeles)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1943 - 1955

Roles Represented in DAHR: conductor, arranger

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 51-52 of 52 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca L 8436 5/24/1955 That old gang of mine ; Sweet Adeline Ethel Merman arranger, conductor  
Decca L 8437 5/24/1955 A bird in a gilded cage ; Frankie and Johnny Ethel Merman arranger, conductor  
(Results 51-52 of 52 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Blackton, Jay," accessed October 27, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/105863.

Blackton, Jay. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 27, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/105863.

"Blackton, Jay." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 27 October 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/105863

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