Leonard George Hayton (born February 14, 1908 in New York) was an American
musician, composer, conductor and arranger. He left high school 16 to play with
Cass Hagen’s Broadway orchestra, then joined Paul Whiteman’s group in 1928,
working with musicians such as Bix Beiderbecke. In 1931, he began collaborating
with Bing Crosby, conducting for radio shows and recording hits like "Brother,
Can You Spare a Dime?" (1932) and "Love Me Tonight" (1932). Hayton became
musical director of Metro‑Goldwyn‑Mayer in 1940, scoring films including The
Harvey Girls (1946) and The Pirate (1948); he...