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Popular Songwriters
and
The Great American Songbook
Who Wrote the Greatest Pop Songs?
Video Clip: "Sweet and Low Down"
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Who Wrote the Greatest Pop Songs?
I am tired of all the hype about today's songs by media hounds?
These columnists and reporters like to sniff around searching for the scent of today's music scene and often drool over the "importance" of today's singing 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. To put it more bluntly -- some of them just plain stink as singers!!
Naturally there are exceptions, such as singers like Harry Connick Jr., Linda Eder, Diana Krall, and Michael Feinstein. Then there's the Grand Master of Pop Singers himself -- Tony Bennett. He continues to shine his considerable talents on songs from the Great American Songbook of Irving Berlin, the Gershwin brothers, Cole Porter and many others.
Contrary to what so many critics and columnists write today, it isn't the rock or rap megastars who are the greatest songwriters and singers. Certainly they have talent and have been influential.
But it was the earlier songwriters before the rock era began (before 1955) who set the foundation for the greatest popular songs in America.
And these songwriters make up what has come to be known as
"The Great American Songbook."And who are these talented songwriters and when were their songs written?
The majority of these great songs were written between the 1920s and 1960s.
Naturally there were songs written before that time that were also popular, like George M. Cohan's "Give My Regards To Broadway" and Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band."
When compiling my list, I decided to keep it to 20 songwriters and singers I most admire for their talents.
One of them is the late Jay Livingston who co-wrote most of his songs with his partner, lyricist Ray Evans. They received three Oscars for their songs:
"Buttons and Bows" (1948)
"Mona Lisa" (1950)
"Que Sera, Sera (What Will Be, Will Be)(1956)When I spoke with him 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 songwriters I consider the best of their kind, listed in alphabetical order with one of their many memorable songs:
Songwriters and Lyricists
- Harold Arlen -- "Stormy Weather"
- Irving Berlin -- "White Christmas"
- Sammy Cahn -- "All The Way"
- 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"
- Frank Loesser -- "Luck Be A Lady"
- Jay Livingston -- "Mona Lisa"
- Henry Mancini -- "Moon River"
- Johnny Mercer -- "Ac-cent-tchu-uate The Positive"
- Cole Porter -- "Night And Day"
- Richard Rodgers -- "People Will Say We're In Love"
- James Van Heusen -- "Swinging On A Star"
- Harry Warren -- "Lullaby Of Broadway"
- Victor Young -- "Stella By Starlight"
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
- Dick Powell
- Jane Powell
- Dinah Shore
- Frank Sinatra
- Jo Stafford
- Mel Torme
- Sarah Vaughan
I believe these are songwriters and singers who should be celebrated for their enormous talents.
Why? Because they were among the best at what they did.
They wrote and performed songs about living life to the fullest,
the joys and the sorrows. Songs like the poignant "I'll Be Seeing You" during World War II, or "You Belong To Me," the melancholy hit that was playing on jukeboxes in 1952.The older pop songs still evoke deep emotional responses from listeners of all ages, even in today's cold and cynical world.
So, let's continue to celebrate these great vintage songwriters, songs and singers from the past.
Roger Hall
Director, Tune Lovers Society
Are you interested in supporting the efforts of preserving songs from America's past?
Send in your request to join The Tune Lovers Society.
During the months of March, April and May in 2009
there was a series about a flood disaster
held at the Stoughton Public Library,
in Stoughton, Massachusetts.The book for this series was Stephen Puleo's fascinating book,
Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
(Beacon Press, Boston, 2004)
One of these programs was
presented by Roger Hall, whose topic was titled,"Runnin' Wild: Molasses and Music Merriment"
Roger is a singer and author of several books on popular songs,
Remembering Radio: Great Songwriters and Singers
His program used popular songs to trace the years of the Dark Tide book.
The program included vintage recordings from that era, including a rare recording of Scott Joplin playing his popular "Maple Leaf Rag"; George Gershwin playing his first hit song, "Swanee" (also sung by Al Jolson); "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" (a popular song from 1919) and "Charleston" (the dance craze of the 1920s); plus other music.
See the list of music programs by Mr. Hall at this link:
To schedule a music lecture or workshop for your group,
write to him here
This is a Free Web Survey
sponsored by
The Tune Lovers Society
Read all about it at
The lists for this annual event are available at these links:
National Carry A Tune Week 2010
National Carry A Tune Week 2009
National Carry A Tune Week 2008
National Carry A Tune Week 2007
National Carry A Tune Week 2006
National Carry A Tune Week 2005
National Carry A Tune Week 2001 - 2004
See the list of composers and songwriters
from the past chosen for the
Single copies of this guide with an accompanying one hour CD, "George Gershwin On Radio," with rare recordings of Gershwin speaking and performing are available for a donation.
Please help support the preservation mission of this web site.
You will receive this guide for a donation of $25 (including shipping), by credit card payable to PineTree Productions, through safe and secure PayPal. Click on this button to
After you have made your donation, please send your mailing address to:
A GUIDE TO GEORGE GERSHWIN
Contents:I. Chronology, 1898-1937
II. Comments from Contemporaries (Merle Armitage, Paul Whiteman, Jerome Kern, Arnold Schoenberg, Serge Koussevitzky, and Ira Gershwin)
III. Gershwin's Music and Web Survey ("I Got Rhythm": The Genius of George Gershwin/ Gershwin on Radio/ List of Movie Music/ "Music, By George" - Web Survey)
IV. Top 40 Gershwin Songs
V. Recommended Books, Recordings and Videotapes/ Two Gershwin Radio Tributes/About the Author
Accompanying CD:
"George Gershwin On Radio"
Includes songs by Fred & Adele Astaire, Michael Feinstein, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bobby Short. George Gershwin himself is heard from a 1932 radio broadcast, playing four of his own compositions and on several piano rolls.
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A Few Recommended Books on Gershwin
George Gershwin: His Life and Work by Howard Pollock
The House That George Built by Wilfrid Sheed
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Video Clip: "Sweet and Low Down"
Watch a video clip of a cute dachshund pup named Henry
as he runs around accompanied by a wonderful snappy George Gershwin song.Click on this link to watch the video
and hear pianist George Gershwin playing his song forLittle Henry -- "Sweet and Low Down"
A Century of American Songs
Read the list for
A Century of American Songs, 1861 - 1961
See the music programs available at
Christmas Hits by Gene, Bing and Elvis
Essential American Recordings Survey (1759-1959)
If you would like to submit a CD review or
a brief essay on a vintage songwriter,
write to:
Christmas Hits by Gene, Bing and Elvis
Popular Songs -
From The Civil War to The Cold War
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