The Mason City composer who turned his Iowa hometown into “River City” in The Music Man.
Robert Meredith Willson was born on May 18, 1902, in Mason City, Iowa. A gifted flutist, he played with John Philip Sousa's band and the New York Philharmonic before turning to composing and radio.
His 1957 musical The Music Man — set in the fictional “River City,” modeled on Mason City — became a Broadway smash and beloved film. He also wrote the Christmas standard “It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”
The Music Man made small-town Iowa a permanent part of American musical theater, and Mason City celebrates it at The Music Man Square and an annual festival. Willson's songs remain holiday and stage staples.
He is among Iowa's most celebrated musicians.
The Mason City composer who turned his Iowa hometown into “River City” in The Music Man.
Meredith Willson was from Mason City, Iowa.
1902–1984.
Curious about your own family's story? We trace it through the public record and write it up as a documented history.
See how it works →This profile presents only publicly reported facts, drawn from the sources above. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the family or its companies.