Nacio Herb Brown (February 22, 1896 – September 28, 1964) was an American writer of popular songs, movie scores, and Broadway theatre music in the 1920s through the early 1950s. Ignacio Herb Brown (some sources indicate his birth name was Ignacio Herbert Brown) was born in Deming, New Mexico. In 1901 his family moved to Los Angeles, where he attended Manual Arts High School. His music education started with instruction from his mother, Cora Alice (Hopkins) Brown. Brown first operated a tailoring business (1916), and then became a financially successful realtor, but he always wrote and played. After his first hit "Coral Sea" (1920) and first big hit, "When Buddha Smiles" (1921), he eventually became a full-time composer. He joined The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1927. In 1928 he was hired to work in Hollywood by MGM and write film scores for the new medium of sound film. For his film work, he often collaborated with lyricist Arthur Freed. This collaboration produced Singin' in the Rain. He appeared in the MGM variety film The Hollywood Revue of 1929. Brown also worked with Richard A.