Joe Greene (American songwriter)

Joe Greene
Greene in Jet magazine, May 15, 1952
Born	Joseph Perkins Greene (1915-04-19)19 April 1915 Spokane, Washington, US
Died	16 June 1986(1986-06-16) (aged 71) Pasadena, California, US
Nationality	American
Occupation	Songwriter, composer
Known for	"Across the Alley from the Alamo"

Joseph Perkins Greene (April 19, 1915 – June 16, 1986) was an African-American songwriter, best known for "Across the Alley from the Alamo", "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" (1943), and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'" (1946).

Greene became a singer and actor. As a young man Greene was associated with songwriter Hoagy Carmichael. He is said to have discovered Ernie Andrews in 1945 and produced his first sessions. He wrote Andrews' biggest hit, the song "Soothe Me". Greene's lyrics were stylish and often had strong emotional impact.

The idea for "Across The Alley From The Alamo" came to Greene in 1946 in the middle of the night. He had been writing songs for Nat King Cole, and visited Cole's manager the next morning, who thought the song had potential. Mel Tormé made a demo, then the Mills Brothers made a hit recording. This was soon followed by a version by Woody Herman and his Orchestra, sung by Woody Herman with The Four Chips, and a version by Stan Kenton and his Orchestra, sung by June Christy.

Greene collaborated as composer and lyricist with arranger Pete Rugolo and bandleader Stan Kenton, making the Kenton band one of the most popular in America in the 1940s and 1950s. The band's musical style was a precursor to West Coast jazz. In 1952 Greene was working with pianist and arranger Eddie Beal, who had accompanied Herb Jeffries and Toni Harper, on new music for the Kenton "aggregation". June Christy and Chris Connor, vocalists with Kenton's band, performed hit songs by Greene such as "Across the Alley From the Alamo", "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'".