Wilson Stone (1927-2020) Papers, circa 1945-2005

Wilson Stone was born in Webster Groves, Missouri, on April 4, 1927 to Mary P. and Obed Wilson Stone. He showed a proclivity for playing the piano at an early age. In 1946, he attended the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, where he wrote for the Waa-Mu show. He composed a Northwestern Hymn that premiered at the 1949 Rose Bowl during halftime. Stone graduated in 1949.

After graduating Stone moved to New York City, where he first worked as an audition accompanist for top singers and actresses, including Carol Burnett. He then wrote and produced revues for popular New York nightclubs, including “What’s New,” for Gogi’s Larue. One of his songs, “Back in the Old Routine,” was later recorded by Bing Crosby and Donald O’Connor. Stone was later hired by Paramount Studios, where he wrote lyrics for movie title songs, working alongside composers such as Burt Bacharach and Victor Young.

Stone also worked for major companies to compose “industrial musicals”: full scale productions intended to motivate sales forces. He composed industrial musicals for (among others) Chevrolet, Frigidaire, Cadillac, Xerox, Cessna and General Motors. One of his compositions for Xerox, “Take it From Here,” was featured in the 2018 documentary “Bathtubs Over Broadway.”

In 2006 Stone was inducted into the Waa-Mu Hall of Fame as part of Northwestern University’s celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Waa-Mu Show.

Stone died Nov. 2, 2020 from cancer at the age of 93.