Born in Washington, D.C., Kenneth Lee Ascher is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, active in jazz, rock, classical, and musical theater genres — in live venues, recording studios, and cinema production. He wrote the song "Rainbow Connection" for The Muppet Movie with Paul Williams. Both Williams and Ascher received Oscar nominations for the 1979 Academy Awards for Best Original Song ("Rainbow Connection") and Best Original Score, The Muppet Movie Soundtrack. The song was also nominated for the Golden Globes for Best Original Song that same year. His body of work includes keyboard parts and string arrangements on John Lennon’s albums, music for several songs from Barbra Streisand’s remake of A Star is Born, and a prolific number of compositions, arrangements, and performances as sideman or band member on keyboards, as well as critically acclaimed live performances and jingles.