Person Biography:
Born in the United States, this talented songwriter, composer, pianist, publisher, and producer was educated at the prestigious Chicago Conservatory. He began his career as a pianist in dance bands and later became an arranger for New York publishing companies in the vaudeville industry.
In 1925, he teamed up with B. G. DeSylva and Lew Brown to form a songwriting duo and music publishing company. Throughout his career, he collaborated with several notable musicians, including Sam Lewis, Joe Young, Billy Rose, Mort Dixon, Jack Yellen, and Irving Caesar.
He made his mark on Broadway by composing scores for various stage productions, including "George White's Scandals," "Manhattan Mary," "Good News," "Hold Everything," "Three Cheers," "Follow Through," "Flying High," "Hot-Cha," "Say When," "Strike Me Pink," and "Ziegfeld Follies of 1943."
In 1929, he sold his interest in the publishing business and moved to Hollywood, where he worked under contract to Fox. He also became a director for the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1942, a position he held until 1951.
Throughout his illustrious career, he wrote numerous popular songs, including "That Old Gang of Mine," "Alabamy Bound," "Don't Bring Lulu," "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue," "I'm Sitting on Top of the World," "Too Many Parties and Too Many Pals," "Lucky Day," "Black Bottom," "Bye Bye Blackbird," "It All Depends on You," "Manhattan Mary," "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," "You Wouldn't Fool Me, Would You?", "Sonny Boy," "Together," "My Sin," "I'm a Dreamer, Aren't We All?", "Sunny Side Up," "If I Had a Talking Picture of You," "Little Pal," "Without Love," "Thank Your Father," "Red Hot Chicago," "You Try Somebody Else," "My Song," "The Thrill is Gone," "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries," "This Is the Missus," "Strike Me Pink," "Say When," "When Love Comes Swinging Along," "My Lucky Star," "Oh You Nasty Man," "My Dog Loves Your Dog," "Why Did I Kiss that Girl?", "If I Had a Girl Like You," "Bam Bam Bamy Shore," "Animal Crackers in My Soup," "When I Grow Up," "Life Begins at Sweet Sixteen," and "Love Songs Are Made in the Night."
