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Popular Songwriters
and
The Great American Songbook
Are you tired of all the hype being gushed over
by media hounds?These columnists and reporters like to sniff everywhere searching for the scent of today's music scene and often drool over the importance of today's young music stars. Many of these singers are either screamers or mumblers. Often they are both!
In many cases, their singing just isn't very good. They have no individual style or sophistication.Naturally there are exceptions, such as fine singers like Harry Connick Jr., Linda Eder, Diana Krall, and Michael Feinstein.
Then there's that Grand Master of Pop Singers: Tony Bennett. He continues to shine his considerable talents on songs from the Great American Songbook.
Contrary to what many critics and columnists write, it's not the rock megastars from the recent past who were the greatest songwriters and singers. Certainly many had talent and were very influential in the last half of the 20th century.
But it was the earlier songwriters before the rock era began who set the foundation for the great popular songs
of the 20th Century.And these songwriters make up what has come to be known as
And who are these talented songwriters and
when were their songs written?The majority of these great songs were written
between the 1920s and 1950s.Naturally there were songs written before that time that were great also, like George M. Cohan's "Give My Regards To Broadway" and Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band."
[see 100 Essential Songs ]For my list, I have decided to keep it to my Top 20 favorites.
One of them is Jay Livingston who co-wrote most of his songs with Ray Evans. They received three Oscars for their songs: "Buttons and Bows"; "Mona Lisa"; and
"Que Sera, Sera (What Will Be, Will Be)."When I met the late Jay Livingston many years ago, he was kind enough to sign my copy of the sheet music to "Mona Lisa" -- his signature is in the top left corner of this sheet music cover:
These are the creators I most admire, listed in alphabetical order with one of their many memorable songs:
Top Songwriters and Lyricists
- Harold Arlen ("Stormy Weather")
- Irving Berlin ("What'll I Do" )
- Sammy Cahn ("Call Me Irresponsible")
- Hoagy Carmichael ("Star Dust")
- Duke Ellington ("Mood Indigo")
- Dorothy Fields ("The Way You Look Tonight")
- George Gershwin ("They Can't Take That Away From Me")
- Ira Gershwin ("Our Love is Here to Stay")
- Oscar Hammerstein II ("Ol' Man River" )
- Lorenz Hart ("Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered")
- Jerome Kern ("All the Things You Are" )
- Jay Livingston ("Mona Lisa" )
- Henry Mancini ("Two for the Road")
- Johnny Mercer ("Moon River")
- Cole Porter ("Anthing Goes")
- Richard Rodgers ("You'll Never Walk Alone")
- Arthur Schwartz ("Dancing in the Dark")
- James Van Heusen ("Swinging on a Star")
- Harry Warren ("Lullaby of Broadway")
- Victor Young ("Stella by Starlight")
Top Singers from the Past
- Louis Armstrong
- Fred Astaire
- Rosemary Clooney
- Nat King Cole
- Perry Como
- Bing Crosby
- Doris Day
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Judy Garland
- Dick Haymes
- Billie Holiday
- Howard Keel
- Peggy Lee
- Jane Powell
- Dinah Shore
- Frank Sinatra
- Jo Stafford
- Mel Torme
- Sarah Vaughan
- Joe Williams
Such songwriters and singers are the ones who should be celebrated as we look back on the 20th century.
Why? Because they were the best at what they did.
They wrote and performed songs about living life to the fullest. These older pop songs can still evoke deep emotional responses from listeners, even in today's cold and cynical world.
That's why this web page was set up here... to celebrate the great vintage songwriters, songs and singers from the past.
Hope you enjoy this tribute page and the related links.
Roger Lee Hall
President, The Tune Lovers Society
Henry and George
Watch a video clip of a cute dachshund pup named Henry
with a George Gershwin song as background music score.Click on this link to watch the clip and hear George Gershwin himself playing for
If you have comments or have a CD of vintage songs for review, write to:
Remembering 1950s Song Hits
Most people have heard about the rise to stardom
of Elvis Presley in 1956.But what other songs were popular back then?
For lists of 50 hits from the '50s
and CDs for each of these years,
click on these links:
Attention writers!
If you would like to submit an article on some topic about songwriters or songs from the past (up to the late 1950s),
click on this link:
Read about two past cowboy singer-songwriters at
"Back in the Saddle Again" -- A Centennial Tribute to Gene Autry
"On the Banks of the Sunny San Juan" -- Centennial Tribute to Eddie Dean
For additional information click on these links:
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