Meredith Willson

Meredith Willson was an American composer, conductor, and playwright active in the mid 20th century, best known for creating the Broadway musical The Music Man. His work draws on Broadway and American popular song traditions, with bright, melodic writing that often incorporates marchlike rhythms and a sense of small-town Americana. He also wrote songs that became part of the mid 20th century popular and holiday repertoire. He died in 1984.