They Call the Wind Maria They Call the Wind Maria "They Call the Wind Maria" is an American popular song with lyrics written by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe for their 1951 Broadway musical, "Paint Your Wagon", which is set in the California Gold Rush. Rufus Smith originally sang the song on Broadway, and Joseph Leader was the original singer in London's West End. It quickly became a runaway hit, and during the Korean War, the song was among the "popular music listened to by the troops". Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra recorded the song in 1951, and it was among the
Whistle Down the Wind (1996 musical) Whistle Down the Wind (1996 musical) Whistle Down the Wind is a musical with music composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who also co-wrote its book with Patricia Knop and Gale Edwards, and its lyrics were written by Jim Steinman. It is based on the 1961 film "Whistle Down the Wind", whose source novel of the same name was written by Mary Hayley Bell in 1959. The musical premièred in 1996 at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., and a concept album was released in 1998. It was produced in the West End in 1998 and has been revived several times