Ray Evans
Ray Evans (February 4, 1915 – February 15, 2007) was an American songwriter best known as the lyricist in the team Livingston and Evans, with Jay Livingston composing the music. They wrote lyrics for many film songs and also contributed TV themes.
Born in Salamanca, New York, Evans came from a Jewish family and was valedictorian of his high school, where he played clarinet. He earned a economics degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1936. He met Livingston in college, and the two formed a songwriting duo. Their first big break came with “G’bye Now” for the Broadway revue Hellzapoppin’ in 1939. They signed with Paramount Pictures in 1946 and soon produced major hits.
Their most famous songs include “To Each His Own” (1946), which topped the charts; “Buttons and Bows” (1947), which won the Academy Award for Best Song; “Mona Lisa” (1950), another Best Song Oscar winner; and “Que Sera Sera” (1956), which also won the Oscar for Best Song. They wrote “Tammy” (1957) and the Christmas standard “Silver Bells.” They also created TV themes for Bonanza and Mr. Ed.
Evans and Livingston worked with other composers as well, including on “Dear Heart” (1964) with Henry Mancini; it was Oscar-nominated and received other major nominations. Evans appeared as himself in the film Sunset Boulevard.
He was married to Wyn Ritchie Evans for nearly 56 years. The Ray and Wyn Ritchie Evans Foundation preserves their legacy, and the Ray Evans Seneca Theater in Salamanca is named after him. He is a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and, with Livingston, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Evans wrote more than 700 songs during his career.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:58 (CET).