Carmichael, Hoagy (1899–1981)

US composer, pianist, singer, and actor. Strongly influenced by ragtime and jazz music, his songs include ‘Stardust’ (1927), ‘Rockin' Chair’ (1930), ‘Lazy River’ (1931), and ‘In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening’ (1951; Academy Award).

While studying law at Indiana University, he began to compose, and he came to perform with such jazz greats as Bix Beiderbecke. Later he worked in Hollywood, where he also appeared in films, including To Have and Have Not (1944) and Young Man with a Horn (1950). He published the memoirs The Stardust Road (1946) and Sometimes I Wonder (1965).