Biography
Roger Edens (9 November 1905 – 13 July 1970) was an American composer, arranger and associate producer. Born in Hillsboro, Texas, he began as a piano accompanist for ballroom dancers and worked on Broadway before moving to Hollywood in 1932. He joined MGM in 1935 as a musical supervisor and became a central figure in Arthur Freed’s production unit.
Edens contributed to numerous MGM musicals, including musical adaptation on Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), for which he also served as associate producer. He worked on Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949), Ziegfeld Follies (1945) and others, often collaborating with composers such as Conrad Salinger and Georgie Stoll. He received Academy Awards for best scoring of a musical picture for Easter Parade, On the Town and Annie Get Your Gun (1950). He was particularly associated with Judy Garland, for whom he wrote special material and served as vocal coach.
