YESTERDAY Magazine Volume #1…Number 5.

In any poll of the finest all-time American lyricists of popular music, Johnny Mercer, the Bard From Savannah, would rank among the Top 10, maybe even the Top 5. During his over four-decade career as a hit songwriter almost without equal, he collaborated with some of the greatest all-time composers like Harold Arlen, Richard Whiting, Hoagy Carmichael, Harry Warren, Jimmy Van Heusen, Henry Mancini and Michel Legrand, turning out dozens of wonderful standards in his more than 700 published songs (and thousands more that were not published). He received 18 nominations for an Academy Award and won four times. He was also known as a singer -- with thirteen Top 10 hits including four #1 smashes. Several others made it to the Top 20.

John H. Mercer was born in Savannah, Georgia on November 18, 1909. Although he had no musical training, and couldn't read music, he began to write poems at the age of 10. At 15, while attending Woodbury Forest School in Orange, Virginia, he wrote his fast song --, both words and music -'Sister Susie, Strut Your Stuff.'

In 1928, Mercer, 19, decided he wanted to be an actor and moved to New York with enough money from his father to sustain him for a year or two until he got started. During the next two years he worked for the Theatre Guild and went on the road appearing in bit roles in "Volpone," 'Marco Millions" and 'Houseparty,' by George Tyler.

In the meantime Johnny met a lot of other young talented musicians and began to write songs, which he'd sing anyplace he was invited. In 1930, while at the Guild looking for an acting job in the third edition of the "Garrick Gaieties," he was informed that the play was all cast, but that they could use some songs. In the show were two other future great writers -- Vernon Duke and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, who accepted Mercer's "Out of Breath and Scared to Death of You." Mercer repaid the favor by introducing Harburg to Harold Arlen.

Also in the show was a dancer named Ginger Meehan, who became Mrs. Johnny Mercer the following year (1931), on the  strength of a couple of songs he placed in a revue called "Jazz City," which was never produced. They later has a daughter Amanda, for whom he wrote "Mandy is Two" in 1942, and a son John Jeff.

Johnny's writing career actually got off the ground in 1932 with "It's About Time," written with Peter Tinturin, "Wouldja For a Big Red Apple," with Henry Souvaine & Everett Miller and "Satan's L'il Lamb," with Harburg & Arlen.

That summer Mercer met and began to write with Hoagy Carmichael, at Hoagy's apartment in Manhattan. Their first collaboration was on "After Twelve O'Clock," with Johnny using the pseudonym Joe Moore. That was followed by " Thanksgivin'' Both were published by Southern Music, as was their first hit the following year - "Lazy Bones" which was a #1 smash (for 4 weeks) for Ted Lewis in the summer of 1933. The song also was a hit for Don Redman (#4) and Mildred Bailey (#9). That same year Mercer joined ASCAP.

After "Lazy Bones." Johnny accepted an $85 week job as a singer and writer with Paul Whiteman, who then had the Kraft radio program with Al Jolson. Mercer wrote a song every week for the band, which featured several singers, and also sang duets with Jack Teagarden, a horn player in the orchestra.

In 1934 Mercer had hits with Glen Gray's recording of 'You Have Taken My Heart" written with Gordon Jenkins (#16 in February) and "Pardon My Southern Accent," with Matty Malneck (#13 in August).

Then in December Johnny had a #12 hit with Rudy Vallee's recording of "P.S. I Love You" (also with Jenkins). It later became a #4 hit for the Hilltoppers in 1953 and a successful country hit for Tom T. Hall in the mid-1980s. Other 1934 Mercer compositions included "Here Come The British (Bang! Bang!) with Bernard Hanighen, 'If I Had a Million Dollars" with Matty Malneck, "Moon Country" with Hoagy Carmichael and "When A Woman Loves a Man" with Jenkins and Hanighen.

As a result of some recordings with Teagarden, Mercer was invited by RKO Pictures to come to California in 1935, to appear in and write songs for two low-budget musicals.

His 1935 output with Malneck included "Eeny, Meeny Miney Mo" (#7 for Benny Goodman in December), "I Saw Her at Eight O'Clock," "Meet Miss America," and "If You Were Mine," the latter a #12 hit for Teddy Wilson (with Billie Holiday.). All Of the songs were featured in the film To Beat The Band. Then there was "Dixieland Band" with Hanighen and "I'm Building Up to An Awful Let Down" with music by Fred Astaire, who had a #4 hit with it in the spring of 1936.

[Although the majority of Mercer's songs were written for films, he did take time out to do seven Broadway shows: St Louis Woman," L'il Abner," "Foxie," "Texas, -L'il Darlin," . "Top Banana," "Saratoga" and "Walk With Music."]

In 1936, Johnny got his first big song for Hollywood -- "I'm An Old Cowhand from the- Rio Grande,' which Bing Crosby put in a picture called Rhythm' on the Range. Crosby's recording (with Tommy Dorsey) was also a #2 hit in the autumn f 1936. Earlier that spring. Benny Goodman's recording of "Goody Goody, gave Mercer his Second #1 hit. The song also went to #5 for Freddy Martin and #7 for Bob Crosby. With Phil Ohman and Macy 0. Teetor, Johnny also wrote "Lost," which became a #5 hit for Guy Lombardo, #6 for Jan Gerber and #7 for Hal Kemp.

In 1937 Mercer wrote numerous songs with Richard Whiting for films like Varsity Show. Hollywood Hotel, and Melody For Two. [The previous year they had collaborated on "Peter Piper.') These included "Hooray For Hollywood" (used in movie Hollywood Hotel and later sung by Sammy Davis, Jr. in the 1960 movie Pepe) "I've Hitched My Wagon to a Star,' "Just a Quiet Evening," "Moon light on the Campus," "Old King Cole," "On With The Dance," "Sentimental and Melancholy," "Silhouetted in the Moonlight," "We're Working Our Way Through College," "You've Got Something There" "Have You Got Any Castles, Baby?." (#2 for Tommy Dorsey that autumn, and also #8 for Dolly Dawn and #11 for Gus Amheim and the marvelous- "Too Marvelous For Words," first used in the film Ready, Willing and Able, then in Dark Passage (1947) and.later sung by Frankie Laine in On The Sunny Side of the Street in 1951. "Marvelous" was #1 for Bing Crosby in the spring of 1937, and so #16 for Leo Reisman. Johnny also rote "Bob White' with Hanighen which as #1 for Bing Crosby & Connie Boswell in December 1937 as well as #14 for Mildred Bailey.

In 1938 Mercer and Harry Warren turned out "Cowboy From Brooklyn," "Daydreamin (all night long)" "Say It with a Kiss," "Jeepers Creepers" -- which not only brought Johnny his first of 18 Academy Award nominations (he won 4 times) but was also a #1 smash for Al Donohue (for 5 weeks) in early 1939, and additionally a hit for Louis Armstrong (#12) and Larry Clinton (#12) -- and "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby," introduced by Dick Powell in the movie Hard to Get and released as a single by Bing Crosby in December 1938 and a #1 hit (2 weeks) for the crooner. It was also a #8 hit for Tommy

Dorsey. Later Doris Day sang the tune in the 1949 film My Dream is Yours and it was a #5 hit for Bobby Darin in the fall of 1961. Then with Warren and Al Dubin, Johnny wrote "Confidentially." "Garden of the Moon," (#6 for Red Norvo in September), "Love Is Where You Find I and "Girlfriend of the Whirling Dervish" With Walter Donaldson Mercer did "Could Be'; with Richard Whiting he did 'I'll Dream Tonight," (#14 for Tommy Dorsey) and "Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride"; and with Bennie Hanighen he wrote "Weekend of A Private Secretary," which went to #10 for Red Norvo in the early summer. 

In 1938, Johnny was signed by Camel Cigarettes to appear-on the same radio program with Benny Goodman. In 1939-40 he sang with Bob Crosby's orchestra for the same sponsor on the NBC Red network. Later he was singer and master of ceremonies for a Chesterfield program. Ironically, Mercer was later to be on the Lucky Strike 'Hit Parade.' He also began his recording career with Decca Records and in August had a doubled-sided Top l0 hit with "Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean" (#7) and Frank Loesser/Hoagy Carmichael's cute "Small Fry' (#3). 

In 1939 Mercer wrote several other songs with Harry Warren including "Hooray For Spinach,' 'I'm Happy About the Whole Thing.' and 'In A Moment of Weakness." With Ziggy Elman he did "And The Angels Sing.' which had been introduced by Ziggy and his orchestra as an insumental entitled 'Fralich in Swing.' In the early summer of the year it became a #1 hit (for 5 weeks) for Benny Goodman. It was also #10 for Bing Crosby, #16 for Count Basic -- and #27 again for Goodman, when his version was re-issued in 1944. The tune was later used in the film The Benny Goodman Story in 1956. With James Van Heusen Johnny came up with "I Thought About You," which was #17 for Goodman in January 1940. With Hoagy he wrote "Ooh! What You Said." (#3 for Glenn Miller in March 1940) and 'The Rhumba Jumps." With Walter Donaldson, he came up with "Cuckoo In 'Me Clock,' a #5 hit for Kay Kyser. Finally with Rube Bloom, Mercer did 'Day In-Day Out," which was Bob Crosby's third #1 hit in the autumn, as well as #11 for both Kay Kyser and Artie Shaw. Finally, 'You Grow Sweeter as The Years Go By" was #15 for Artie Shaw in June. 

Mercer continued to churn out the hits in the new decade. In 1940, "Bad Humor Man' written with Jimmy McHugh was #24 for Kay Kyser and #23 for Jimmy Dorsey. Also their "You"ve Got Me This Way" was a hit for Kay Kyser (#12), Glenn Miller (#12), Tommy Dorsey (#14) and Jimmy Dorsey (#19). "Fools Rush In,' with Rube Bloom was #1 for Glenn Miller that swnmer and also #12 for Tommy Dorsey and #14 for Tony Martin. It later was a #24 hit for Brook Benton in 1960 and a #12 hit for Rick Nelson in 1963. "Mr Meadowlark," with Walter Donaldson was #18 for Johnny & Bing Crosby in July. And his "Love of My Life," with music by Artie Shaw -- and introduced by Fred Astaire in Paramount movie Second Chorus -- was nominated for a 1940 Academy Award.

1941 was an even better year: With Harold Arlen, Johnny wrote several songs for the film Blues In The Night including "Says Who, Says You, Says I" and "This Time The Dream's on Me" (#8 for Woody Herman and #11 for Glenn Miller) and "Blues In The Night" a #1 hit (for 4 weeks) for Woody Herman late that year and in early 1942. It also was a hit for Jimmie Lunceford (#4), Dinah Shore (#4) Cab Calloway (48), Artie Shaw (#10. and Benny Goodman (#20). The tune was later successfully revived by Rosemary Clooney; it reached #17 in 1952.

In 1942 Mercer and Arlen wrote "Captain of the Clouds," for the movie of the same title. Later, it was also chosen as official song of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The great pair also teamed on 'Hit the Road to Dreamland' which was #16 for Freddie Slack in 1943. With Victor Schertzinger Johnny wrote 'The Fleet's In,' 'Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing in a Hurray,' (which was #18 for Jimmy Dorsey and #21 for the King Sisters), "I Remember You" (#9 for Tommy Dorsey; #24 for Harry James and later #5 for Frank Ifield in 1962), "If You Build a Better Mousetrap" (which was #23 for Jimmy Dorsey) and 'Not Mine" (which got to #22 for Dorsey). Also their "Tangerine" was #1 for 6 weeks for Tommy Dorsey that summer, and #11 for Vaughn Monroe.

With Jerome Kern Johnny wrote "Windmill Under The Stars" "You Were Never Lovelier.' (title song of a 1942 Fred Astaire film) and "Dearly Beloved," which was #10 for Dinah Shore and #21 for Alvino Rey in 1942. and, in 1943, #4 for Glenn Miller. And their "I'm Old Fashioned" was #23 for Fred Astaire - the following year. With Fulton McGrath, . .

Mercer also wrote "Mandy is Two," about his daughter. With Harold Arlen, he wrote "That Old Black Magic," which was a #1 hit for Glenn Miller in the spring of 1943, and also a hit for Freddie Slack (#10) and Horace Heidt(#11). Then he and Hoagy Carmichael had a big hit on "Skylark,' with Dinah Shore (#5), Glenn Miller (#7), Harry James (#11) and Bing Crosby (#14). "Travelin' Light," written with Jimmy Mundy and Trummy Young, went to #25 for Paul Whiteman (with Billie Holiday). Finally, Johnny did both words and music to "Strip Polka," which was #1 for Kay Kyser in the fall of 1942, and also a hit for the Andrew Sisters (#6) and Alvino Rey (#6). Johnny's own version for Capitol went to #7. [Earlier that year Mercer had joined with Glenn Wallichs and Buddy de Sylva, the songwriter turned movie producer who furnished the financial backing, and founded Capitol Records. The first platter released was Mercer's recording of "Strip Polka" and "Cow Cow Boogie." Another songwriter, Paul Francis Webster had been approached first, but declined the offer. Within a short time, the new label had numerous big stars signed including Nat "King" Cole, Peggy Lee, Stan Kenton, Margaret Whiting, Kay Starr, Merle Travis, Tennessee Ernie Ford and Tex Williams. Years later Mercer sold his share of the company which made him' a multimillionaire.]

In 1943 Mercer wrote both words and music to "G.I. Jive" which became a #1 hit in the sununer of 1944 for Louis Jordan on Deccca. Mercer's Capitol version went to #11. [earlier that year his 1943 recording of "I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City' got to #18.] Then with Arlen he did "A Lot in Common With You,' "My Shining Hour" (#4 for Glenn Gray in 1944) and "One For My Baby" (#21 in 1945 for Lena Home). All songs were included in the film The Sky's The Limit. And "The Old Music Master" written with Hoagy went to #19 for Paul Whiteman's recording.

Johnny's 1944 songs included "Accentuate The Positive." with Harold Arlen, which gave Johnny his first #1 hit in the spring of 1945. It was also #2 for Bing Crosby & the Andrew Sisters, #5 for Artie Shaw and #12 for Kay Kyser. The two also came up with "I Promise You," introduced by Crosby and Betty Hutton in Here Come The Waves and "Let's Take the Long Way Home," which was a #14 hit for Jo Stafford and #20 for Cab Calloway. Mercer also wrote "How Little We Know" with Carmichael, who introduced it in his film with Humphrey Bogart, To Have and Have Not. Johnny also clicked as a recording artist that year with "San Fernando Valley" (#21) and "Sam's Got Him" (#24).

1945 was also, as they say, a very good year: "Dream," which he had written (both words and music) the previous year became a #1 smash (and million seller) for the Pied Pipers that spring. It was also a hit for Frank Sinatra (#5), Freddy Martin (#9), Jimmy Dorsey (#15), and -- nearly a decade later --The Four Aces (#17) in 1954. With Harry Warren, Mercer wrote "On The Atchison, Topeka and die Santa Fe," for the Judy Garland film The Harvey Girls, which brought him his first Academy Award. Johnny also had a #1 hit with the tune (for 8 weeks) that summer. In addition them were hit versions by Bing Crosby (#3), Tommy Dorsey (#6), Judy Garland (#10) and Tommy Tucker (#10).,,-, Mercer and Warren also wrote 'Swing; Your Partner Round and Round," "In The Valley" "Wild, Wild West," "Its a Great Big World" "Wait and See" (#24 for Garland) for the film. With Harold Arlen he did "June Comes Around Every Year," and the title song for the movie Out of This World, which was #9 for Jo Stafford and # 12 for Tommy Dorsey. "Laura,"with music by David Raksin-was the theme melody from the movie Laura. Introduced by Johnny Johnston on radio who also had a #5 hit with it. The biggest hit though was by Woody Herman (#4). It also was a hit for Freddy Martin (#6), Jerry Wald (*8), Dick Haymes (#9). [Stan Kenton later took the song to #12 in his 1951 revival.] Mercer also had a #1 smash hit in the spring of 1945 with Mack David, Joan Whitney and Alex Kramer's 'Candy," teaming with Jo Stafford and the Pied Pipers. Additionally, he got to #12 with "I'm Gonna See My Baby" in March and #16 with 'Surprise Party" in November.

1946 gave Johnny a hit with "Come Rain or Come Shine.' written with Harold Arlen, which reached as high as #17 for Margaret Whiting and #23 for Helen Forrest & Dick Haymes. It was also featured in the film St Louis Woman for which they also contributed 'Cakewalk Your Lady,' Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home," "I Wonder What Became of Me," "Legalize My Name." "Ridin' On The Moon." and "A Woman's Prerogative." With Robert Emmett Dolan Mercer did 'Fine Thing," which was introduced in film Dear Ruth. Johnny also wrote "Forever Amber," with David Raksin, adapted from the Forever Amber movie theme. Mercer also had several hit recordings including a #1 hit (for 2 weeks) with Johnny Burke & Jimmy Van Heusen's "Personality" (#1 for two weeks) as well as "My Sugar is So Refined" (#11), "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"(#8) and "A Gal in Calico" (#5). 

In 1947 Mercer's recording career continued to flourish: He had hits on "Winter Wonderland" (#4), "Huggin' and A-Chalkin" (#8), "I Do, Do, Do Like You" (#13), "Sugar Blues" (#4). "Save The Bones For Henry Jones" (#12) and 'Harmony" (#12). The last two were done with the King Cole Trio. As a writer, Johnny enjoyed a minor hit with Claude Thornhill's recording of 'Early Autumn." which got to #22 in December. Five years later, it was again a hit for Jo Stafford (#23) and Woody Herman (#28) who had also co-written the melody with Ralph Burns.

In the summer of 1949, Johnny and Margaret Whiting teamed on "Baby, It's Cold Outside.' which got as high as #3/18 weeks and provided strong competition for the Dinah Shore & Buddy Clark version which was #4/19 weeks.

During the Fifties, Mercer worked on musical scores for several films and stage hits as Top Banana(1951), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers(1954), Daddy Long Legs(1955), L'il Abner(1956) and Saratoga(1959).

Mercer's next big hit came in 1951, when he teamed with Hoagy Carmichael to write "In the Cool Cool Cool of the Evening," which was introduced by Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman in their movie Here Comes the Groom. In addition to winning the Oscar that year, it was a #11 hit for them as well as #17 for Frankie Laine & Jo Stafford's cover version.

In 1952 Johnny revised the lyrics to "The Glow-Worm," which originally had German words and music by Paul Lincke [The first English lyrics supplied by Lilla Cayley Robinson in 1907.] The tune had earlier been a million seller for Spike Jones in 1946. The new version became a million seller for the Mills Brothers, and #1 (3 weeks) and a #30 recording for Johnny.

In 1954 Mercer and Gene de Paul wrote "Lonesome Polecat," which provided a #27 hit for Freddy Martin and a #28 hit for the McGuire Sisters. The following year Johnny watched Roger Williams' Kapp recording of "Autumn Leaves," which he had written English lyrics to in 1950, from music by Joseph Kosma -- it then had French words by Jacques Prevert -- go all the way to #1 (for 4 weeks). Steve Allen's cover version got to #35.

Also in 1955, Mercer had a big hit with his (both words and music) "Something's Gotta Give," written for the film Daddy Long Legs. It went to #5 for the McGuire Sisters and #9 for Sammy Davis, Jr. It also was nominated for an Academy Award.

In 1957 he had a #14 hit with Pat Boone's recording of "Bernadine," also the title of his first film for 20th Century-Fox.

The following year, Louis Prima and Keely Smith had a wonderful million selling version of Mercer & Arlen's "That Old Black Magic,' which went to #18 in November. [It was also his 19th Number One hit]

In 1960 Mercer furnished both words and music to Oscar nominated "The Facts of Life," for the Bob Hope and Lucille Ball movie.

In 1961, Mercer and Henry Mancini teamed up to write "Moon River," for the motion picture Breakfast at Tiffinay's, which starred Audrey Hepburn. The song, which has since become a standard, went to #11 for both Jerry Butler and Mancini's version. Additionally, it became Johnny's third Academy Award winning song.

In the autumn of 1962. Frank Ifield revived "I Remember You," which went to and sold over a million copies.

That same year, Mercer and Mancini teamed to do "Days of Wine and Roses," for Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine movie of the same title. The following spring ,the song became a hit for both Andy Williams(#26) and Henry Mancini (#33). It also brought Mercer his fourth Academy award.

Also in 1963 Mercer wrote "I Wanna Be Around" which was #14 for Tony Bennett, Johnny and Henry also wrote "Charade," for Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn motion picture of the same title, which resulted in still another Oscar nomination. It was also #36 hit for both Sammy Kaye and Henry Mancini.

Mercer additionally had a hit that year with "I Wanna Be Around (to pick up the Pieces)," which Tony Bennett took to #14 . The title was sent to Johnny by Mrs. Sadie Vimmerstedt of Youngstown, Ohio, who became his co-writer. "Get a good title and you just about got a good song." he later said.

In 1965 Mercer got another Oscar nomination for "The Sweetheart Tree," written with Mancini for the Jack Lemmon Tony Curtis film, The Great Race. Johnny also supplied the English lyrics to 'The Summer Wind," which originally had German lyrics by Hans Bradtke and music by Henry Mayer. Frank Sinatra's version got to #25 in September 1966.

As a songwriter, Mercer felt that his greatest gift was the ability to catch the mood of a tune. He always preferred to have a melody to write the lyrics to, rather than creating the lyrics first. He told reporters that he worked best in the morning -- after a--good nights sleep -- and would work half a day or until the creativity stopped. Then he would quit and let his subconscious, which he described as a remarkable instrument, do the work. He always insisted that a writer shouldn't push song, although he sometimes was forced to for a deadline.

Mostly, Johnny would listen to the composer play his tune on a piano mid, after getting it firmly in his mind, then go home and work on it at his leisure in solitude over a period of maybe two weeks. However there were times when he would rite the lyric on the spot. Mercer once laughingly told of how when the children were small, Ginger would hush them with "Daddy's working" -- and he would be lying down on the couch , with his eyes shut and a legal pad on his chest.

Mercer was from the back-of-the-envelope school of writing; but when he got down. to work, he would get a lot of paper and go to the typewriter and type dozens of alternative lines and then gradually weed out the poor ones until he thought he had the very best.

Throughout his life, Johnny was always quick to give Yip Harburg credit for helping him in the early days. "He taught me how to apply myself. We would work on and sometimes sit in a room all day long. We'd get the rhyming dictionary and Roget's Thesaurus and we would sweat."

Mercer continually emphasized hard work to any aspiring writer. "At best, maybe 10 per cent of them will ever be published, and only a tiny percentage of those will be hits. So you've got to keep turning them out, just based on the arithmetic of it.... Another thing, you can't just keep knocking out the same thing. You've got to switch them up. You get stale, used-up, working in the same groove. Keep shifting... And don't try to do too much too quickly. You write a number, and even if you think it's great, put it away, let it cook, let it simmer. Then you come back to it, and you may have a different slant. You play with it, fix it, let it grow."

Mercer always said that his most commercial song was "Laura,' the easiest to write was "Days of Wine and Roses" (9 minutes) and the toughest was "Skylark" (which took nearly a year).

Johnny was again Oscar nominated in 1970 for "Whistling Away The Dark" (again with Mancini) which was from the Rock Hudson and Julie Andrews movie, Darling Lili.

On March 9, 1971, Johnny was among the original members of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. The following year he received his last nomination for an Academy Award for "Life is What You Make It," written with Marvin Hamlisch for the movie Koch.

In the summer of 1974 he opened in London with a musical with composer conductor Andre Previn. based on J.B. Priestley's picaresque novel "The Good Companions," the story of a theatrical group touring the hinterlands of England the 1920s.

Johnny Mercer, who lived in Westwood a wealthy area of Los Angeles, just west of Beverly Hills, died on June 25, 1976.