Brigham Young University has received the memorabilia of three-time Academy Award-winning musician Ken Darby, whose film work began with the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz" and continued through "Airport" in 1970.
When Darby died in 1992, his will named BYU as the place where his papers would be donated. The collection, now housed in the Harold B. Lee Library's Special Collections and Manuscripts Department, includes among other things copies of original studio soundtracks for some of the great musicals of the 1940s and '50s. Manuscripts, recordings, photographs, Oscar statuettes, correspondence and Darby's grand piano were also part of the donation.The collection came to BYU partly because of Darby's friendship with James A. Mason, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications, and James D'Arc, curator of the library's Arts and Communications Archives.
Mason worked with Darby in 1987 when Darby's tribute to nine-time Oscar-winning musician Alfred Newman was performed at BYU. As Newman's longtime musical associate, Darby drew on Newman's music for "The Robe" and "The Greatest Story Ever Told" to create "Man of Galilee."
During his long Hollywood career, the singer, vocal coach, supervisor, arranger, conductor and musical scorer received Academy Awards for "Porgy and Bess," "The King and I" and "Camelot."
Darby's career began in 1929, when he performed as a member of the King's Men Quartet, later regulars on the "Fibber McGee and Molly" radio program. The group also sang in Walt Disney's 1940 film "Pinocchio," where Darby's arrangement of "When You Wish Upon a Star" helped the song win an Academy Award.
Later at 20th Century-Fox he served 11 years as Newman's associate. He also composed "Love Me Tender" for Elvis Presley and was Presley's vocal coach.
The Darby collection joins those of other musicians who made major contributions to films and whose memorabilia reside at BYU. Among them are Max Steiner, Hugo Friedhofer and the music archives of Republic Pictures.