Prolific American lyricist and songwriter, one of the giants of Tin Pan
Alley. He contributed numerous popular standards to jazz and to the big
band scene. His catalogue includes such titles as "I'm Getting
Sentimental Over You" (theme song for bandleader
Tommy Dorsey), the ballad "I Don't Stand a
Ghost of a Chance With You", the 1940 Oscar-winner "When You Wish Upon
a Star" (from
Pinocchio (1940)), "The
Nearness of You" (made popular by
Glenn Miller), "Stella By
Starlight", "Green Dolphin Street", "La Cucaracha" and the western
classics "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin" (Oscar-winner for
High Noon (1952) and the "Rawhide"
theme.
Washington had his roots in vaudeville as a master of ceremonies.
Having joined ASCAP in 1930, he started his songwriting career with
Earl Carroll's Vanities on Broadway in the late 1920's. In 1934, he was
signed by MGM and relocated to Hollywood, eventually writing full
scores for feature films. During the 40's, he worked for a number of
studios, including Paramount, Warner Brothers, Disney and Republic.
During these tenures, he collaborated with many of the great composers
of the era, including
Hoagy Carmichael,
Victor Young,
Max Steiner and
Dimitri Tiomkin.