Roger Edens, songwriter, arranger, and Hollywood musical producer, was born in Hillsboro, Texas. He began his career in the early 1930s as a piano accompanist for ballroom dancers. He played piano in the orchestra pit for the musical Girl Crazy from 1930 to 1931. Afterward, he worked with Ethel Merman as accompanist and musical arranger.

He also wrote songs for Judy Garland that she performed at the Palace Theater and in concert, and helped her to get her first big break in Hollywood. Edens joined the staff at Metro Goldwyn Meyer as a musical supervisor and composer in 1935 and eventually became an associate producer. He worked on many noted films as musical supervisor or director.Edens helped produce many of the extravagant show numbers that have come to be associated with the great Hollywood musical.

Edens received Oscars for Easter Parade in 1948 and Annie Get Your Gun in 1950. He died of lung cancer in Hollywood, California.

Musicals: The Harvey Girls Easter Parade Take Me Out to the Ball Game Annie Get Your Gun The Band Wagon Show Boat An American in Paris Singin' in the Rain Films (associate producer): Show Boat (1951) An American in Paris (1951) Funny Face (1957) The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) Hello, Dolly (1969)

Provided songs for: Born to Dance (1936) The Wizard of Oz (1939) Strike Up the Band (1940) Babes on Broadway (1941) Ziegfeld Follies (1944) Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) For Me and My Gal Girl Crazy On the Town