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Johnny Mercer
Johnny Mercer set a standard for writing lyrics for popular songs that will never be equalled. His output was enormous He was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1909 and moved to New York in 1928. He became a writer for the stage in 1930 with his first score for the "Garrick Gaieties of 1930" and was then vocalist with the Paul Whiteman band. His acting-singing background made him a natural in movie musicals of the time such as "Old man Rhythm" and "To Beat The Band". In radio he was a winner with Benny Goodman, then with Bob Crosby and then his own shows including "Johnny Mercer's Music Shop" in the mid forties. It was at this time he co-founded Capitol Records in Hollywood. And always there were the songs - "Lazybones", "I'm An Old Cowhand", "Goody Goody", "Hooray For Hollywood", "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby", "Fools Rush In", "Blues In The Night". "Tangerine", "That Old Black Magic", "Laura". By the 60s Mercer concentrated on movie music such as "Moon River", "Charade", and "Days of Wine and Roses". By 1946 Johnny Mercer had been a vocalist for eight years. The previous year had been his most successful giving him two number one hits - "Candy" with The Pied Pipers and Jo Stafford on Capitol, and "On The Atchison, Topeka, and The Santa Fe" on Capitol. The year 1946 began with Johnny Mercer producing his third number one hit in a row for his own label "Personality" (from the Crosby-Hope film "Road To Utopia") on. In 1946 he returned to the hit parade with "My Sugar Is So Refined" and "Ugly Chile (You're Some Pretty Doll)" which both charted on. By the end of the year Mercer had a huge two sided hit with movie tunes. "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" from Disney's "Song of the South" and "A Gal In Calico" from "The Time, The Place,And The Girl" both were top ten hits. During the winter "Winter Wonderland" got into the top five. In 1947, he started out with another top ten hit record for Capitol called "Huggin' And A-Chalkin'". In 1949 a duet with Margaret Whiting with "Baby, It's Cold Outside" from the film "Neptunes Daughter" was a huge national hit on. A recording made of "Glow Worm" with new lyrics by Mercer, was his last chart appearance. A great treasure trove of music and lyrics that will live on forever, and his vocalising was a great addition to his life's work. He also made a difference in the recording industry by his part in the formation of a record company, Capitol Records which has been a major player in the presentation of the music of our time from Nat Cole, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, and Beach Boys. All segments of music owe a debt of gratitude to Johnny Mercer.

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