Jack Meskill, a renowned songwriter, composer, author, publisher, and producer, immigrated to the United States in 1898 and attended DeWitt Clinton High School in New York. He began his illustrious career in 1925, joining forces with Buddy DeSylva and Ray Henderson as a songwriting team and music publishers.
Meskill's impressive repertoire of work includes writing the Broadway stage scores for notable productions such as "George White's Scandals" (1925, 1926, 1928, and 1931),"Manhattan Mary", "Good News", "Hold Everything", "Three Cheers", and "Follow Through". He also served as co-librettist for "Flying High", "Hot-Cha", "Strike Me Pink", and "Yokel Boy", in addition to being the producer-director for these shows.
In 1929, Meskill sold his publishing firm and relocated to Hollywood under contract with Fox. He was an active member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) since 1921, collaborating with other notable musicians such as Albert Von Tilzer, Con Conrad, Moe Jaffe, Sidney Clare, Harry Warren, Cliff Friend, Harry Akst, Jay Gorney, Louis Alter, Harold Arlen, Sammy Fain, Sammy Stept, and Charles Tobias.
Throughout his career, Meskill penned numerous hit songs, including "Give Me the Moonlight, Give Me the Girl", "Oh, by Jingo!", "I Used to Love You but It's All Over Now", "Dapper Dan", "Wait Until You See My Madeline", "I'd Climb the Highest Mountain", "Last Night on the Back Porch", "Shine", "Don't Bring Lulu", and many more.
His impressive catalog of songs also includes "Collegiate", "Lucky Day", "Birth of the Blues", "Black Bottom", "It All Depends on You", "Manhattan Mary", "The Best Things in Life Are Free", "Good News", "The Varsity Drag", "Just Imagine", "Lucky in Love", "Broken Hearted", "Just a Memory", "So Blue", "I'm on the Crest of a Wave", "You're the Cream in My Coffee", "Button Up Your Overcoat", and many other timeless classics.
Meskill's legacy as a songwriter, composer, author, publisher, and producer continues to be celebrated, with his work remaining an integral part of the American musical heritage.
