- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRaymond Bernard Evans
- Height5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
- Academy Award-winning songwriter ("Buttons and Bows" [1948], "Mona Lisa" [1950], "Que Sera Sera" [1956]), composer, author, musician and publisher, educated at the Wharton School and the University of Pennsylvania. He began his career in the college dance orchestra, then played in local night clubs and cruise ships. He wrote special material for Olsen and Johnson, then went to Hollywood and was signed to a contract with Paramount in 1945-46, and then became a freelancer. His Broadway stage scores include "Oh Captain!" and "Let It Ride". He has written special material for television and night club acts, including those of Betty Hutton, Cyd Charisse and Mitzi Gaynor. With his partner, Jay Livingston (who also was his chief musical collaborator), he owned a music-publishing firm. Other musical collaborators included Henry Mancini, Max Steiner and Victor Young.
Joining ASCAP in 1945, his popular-song compositions include "Silver Bells", "G'bye Now", "Stuff Like That There", "A Square in the Social Circle", "My Love Loves Me", "A Thousand Violins", "I'll Always Love You", "Misto Cristofo Columbo", "Love Him", "The Ruby and the Pearl", "Haven't Got a Worry", "Never Let Me Go", "As I Love You", "Let Me Be Loved", "You're So Right for Me", "Surprise", "The Morning Music of Montmartre", "Marshmallow Moon", "My Beloved", "Angel Town", "All the Time", "Almost in Your Arms", "Dreamsville", "Warm and Willing", "Just an Honest Mistake", "His Own Little Island", "Love, Let Me Know" and "On My Way".
- IMDb mini biography by: Hup234!
- SpouseWyn Ritchie Evans(April 19, 1947 - April 11, 2003) (her death)
- In their Television Archives interview, Ray Evans and Jay Livingston said when Desi Arnaz asked them to write a theme song for a Western television show, he told them he could not pay them much for a weekly salary, because the show was only going to last one year. The men made a deal with Desi to keep the rights to the song. When Bonanza became an unexpected smash-hit, owning the rights to the song, the men made millions.
- Was nominated for Broadway's 1958 Tony Award, music and lyrics in collaboration with Jay Livingston, as part of Best Musical nomination for "Oh, Captain!".
- Inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1977.
- In 1946, five versions of "To Each His Own" were listed on Billboard's Top 10 list for one week: recordings by Eddy Howard (No. 1), Freddy Martin, The Ink Spots, The Modernaires and Tony Martin.
- He was able to distill a mood or a feeling into a song without it sounding cliched, He did not consider himself a sophisticated writer, but he knew how to express the thoughts, feelings and emotions of the common man in an eloquent way.
- [from an interview for the Los Angeles Times, 1985] I'm nuts about sports, play baseball and tennis every weekend. Jay [Livingston] couldn't care less. He's restrained and quiet. I'm more outward-going. Jay is a marvelous musician. I have a tin ear. But our tastes are similar, and we both like good music and song.
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