George David Weiss
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George David Weiss (born April 9, 1921) is an American songwriter and President of the Songwriters Guild of America.
He was born in New York, New York to a Jewish family. He originally planned a career as a lawyer or accountant, but out of a love for music he was led to attend the Juilliard School of Music, developing his skills in writing and arranging. After leaving school, he became an arranger for such big bands as those of Stan Kenton, Vincent Lopez, and Johnny Richards.
In the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, he was a very prolific songwriter, with many of his songs reaching high places on the charts. Although he worked with many collaborators, the largest proportion of his well-known songs were written with Bennie Benjamin.
Weiss contributed to a number of movie scores: Murder, Inc. (1960), Gidget Goes to Rome (1953), Mediterranean Holiday (1964), and Mademoiselle (1966).
Collaborations on three Broadway musicals were among his compositions. Mr. Wonderful was written in 1956 with Jerry Bock and Larry Holofcener. The Broadway production starred Sammy Davis, Jr. First Impressions was based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It was written in 1959, with Robert Goldman and Glenn Paxton. Maggie Flynn was written in 1968, with Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. It was set in New York during the Civil War, and the Broadway production starred Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy. In addition, Weiss and Will Severin composed the family musical, A Tale of Cinderella, which was first presented in December 1994 at the Theater Institute in Troy, New York and filmed for presentation on PBS.
He was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 1984.
In 2006 a court settlement was reached regarding royalties for the worldwide rights of the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which was based on a 1939 song by Solomon Linda.
Contents |
[edit] Songs written
[edit] With Bennie Benjamin
- "Can Anyone Explain? (No! No! No!)" (1950) (recorded by The Ames Brothers and by Ray Anthony)
- "Confess" (1948) (recorded by Patti Page and by Doris Day and Buddy Clark)
- "Cross Over the Bridge" (1954) (recorded by Patti Page)
- "Echoes" (1950) (recorded by Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae)
- "How Important Can It Be?" (1955) (recorded by Joni James).
- "I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore" (1949) (recorded by Gordon Jenkins)
- "I'll Never Be Free" (1950) (recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan and by Kay Starr)
- "I Ran All the Way Home" (1951) (recorded by Sarah Vaughan)
- "Jet" (1951) (recorded by Nat "King" Cole)
- "Rumors Are Flying" (1946) (recorded by Frankie Carle and by Les Paul)
- "Surrender" (1946) (recorded by Perry Como)
- "To Think You've Chosen Me" (1950) (recorded by Eddy Howard)
- "Wheel of Fortune" (1952) (recorded by Kay Starr)
[edit] With Jerry Bock and Larry Holofcener
- "Mr. Wonderful" (from the musical Mr. Wonderful)
- "Too Close for Comfort" (from the musical Mr. Wonderful)
[edit] With Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore
- "Can't Help Falling In Love" (1961) (recorded by Elvis Presley)
- "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (1961) (recorded by The Tokens),
[edit] With George Shearing
- "Lullaby of Birdland" (1952),
[edit] With Joe Sherman
- "That Sunday, That Summer" (1963) (recorded by Nat "King" Cole)
[edit] With Bob Thiele
- "What A Wonderful World" (1967) (recorded by Louis Armstrong)
[edit] Work on Broadway
- Mr. Wonderful (1956) - musical - co-composer and co-lyricist of eleven songs with Jerry Bock and Larry Holofcener
- First Impressions (1959) - musical - co-composer and co-lyricist with Robert Goldman and Glenn Paxton
- Send Me No Flowers (1960) - play - featured co-songweiter for "Send Me No Flowers"
- Maggie Flynn (1968) - musical - co-composer and co-lyricist with Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore
[edit] External links
- Page on Weiss
- Songwriters' Hall of Fame page on Weiss
- George David Weiss at the Internet Broadway Database
