Allan Roberts (March 12, 1905 – January 14, 1966) was an American musician and songwriter, whose songs, co-written with Doris Fisher and other writers, were successfully recorded by the Mills Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, the Ink Spots, Billie Holiday, the Andrews Sisters, Marilyn Monroe, Perry Como, and many others.
He was born in Brooklyn, and trained as an accountant before working as a pianist in clubs and shows on and around Broadway, where he met and worked with theater and film producer Mike Todd. He wrote "You Opened My Eyes" for the Bill Barry Orchestra in 1935; [1] and in 1937 co-wrote, with Irving Gordon and Alvin S. Kaufman, the song "Me, Myself, and I", which was recorded by Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman and others. [2]
He met aspiring songwriter Doris Fisher, the daughter of respected Tin Pan Alley songwriter and music publisher Fred Fisher, and in 1944 the two began collaborating on songs. They found immediate success with such popular songs as "You Always Hurt the One You Love", "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall", "That Ole Devil Called Love", "Angelina (The Waitress at the Pizzeria)", and "Invitation to the Blues", which he co-wrote with Fisher and Arthur Gershwin, the younger brother of George and Ira Gershwin. [3] In 1945, he and Fisher were signed by Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures in Hollywood to a seven-year contract to supply songs for films. [4] They had immediate success with the songs "Amado Mio" and "Put the Blame on Mame", written for Gilda starring Rita Hayworth, and in all contributed to about twenty films for the company, including Dead Reckoning and The Lady from Shanghai . [3]
After Doris Fisher married in 1947 and retired from the entertainment industry, Roberts linked up with Lester Lee, with whom he co-wrote "You're Never Too Old", "Every Baby Needs a Da Da Daddy" and other songs in the 1948 movie Ladies of the Chorus starring Marilyn Monroe. [5] He and Lee then wrote the music for the 1949 Broadway show All for Love . [6] With Robert Allen, he also co-wrote Perry Como's 1952 hit, "To Know You (Is to Love You)". [7]
Roberts died at a Florida hospital, at age 60. A notice in Billboard indicated that the location was in Hollywood, [8] while The New York Times obituary, which featured an age discrepancy and gave the location's name as Hallandale, specified that "Allan Roberts, a lyricist, died of a heart attack today at a local hospital. He was 62 years old." The obituary further notes that "[H]is survivors include his widow, Molly, and two sons, Robert and Jeffery, all of Hollywood." [9]
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1937.
Doris Fisher was an American singer and songwriter, collaborating both as lyricist and composer. She co-wrote many popular songs in the 1940s, including "Whispering Grass", "You Always Hurt the One You Love", "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall", "That Ole Devil Called Love", and "Put the Blame on Mame." Her songs were recorded by the Ink Spots, Louis Prima, Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, Pearl Bailey, the Mills Brothers and Ella Fitzgerald amongst others.
George Gard "Buddy" DeSylva was an American songwriter, film producer and record executive. He wrote or co-wrote many popular songs, and along with Johnny Mercer and Glenn Wallichs, he co-founded Capitol Records.
Edgar Yipsel Harburg was an American popular song lyricist and librettist who worked with many well-known composers. He wrote the lyrics to the standards "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?", "April in Paris", and "It's Only a Paper Moon", as well as all of the songs for the film The Wizard of Oz, including "Over the Rainbow". He was known for the social commentary of his lyrics, as well as his leftist leanings. He championed racial, sexual and gender equality and union politics. He also was an ardent critic of high society and religion.
Gustav Gerson Kahn was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including "Pretty Baby", "Ain't We Got Fun?", "Carolina in the Morning", "Toot, Toot, Tootsie ", "My Buddy" "I'll See You in My Dreams", "It Had to Be You", "Yes Sir, That's My Baby", "Love Me or Leave Me", "Makin' Whoopee", "My Baby Just Cares for Me", "I'm Through with Love", "Dream a Little Dream of Me" and "You Stepped Out of a Dream".
Harold Lane David was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick.
Basil Glen Ballard Jr. is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer. He is best known for co-writing and producing on Wilson Phillips' debut and sophomore albums, Wilson Phillips and Shadows and Light, as well as co-writing and producing on Alanis Morissette's 1995 album Jagged Little Pill and Dave Matthews Band's 2001 album Everyday. As a songwriter, he co-wrote songs including "All I Need", "Man in the Mirror", "Hold On", "Hand in My Pocket", and Josh Groban's "Believe". As a producer, he has worked with No Doubt, Shelby Lynne, Goo Goo Dolls, P.O.D., Annie Lennox and others.
Leo Robin was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938, and with Jule Styne on "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," a song whose witty, Cole Porter style of lyric came to be identified with its famous interpreter Marilyn Monroe.
Irving Caesar was an American lyricist and theater composer who wrote lyrics for numerous song standards, including "Swanee", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Crazy Rhythm", and "Tea for Two", one of the most frequently recorded tunes ever written. In 1972, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Ann Ronell was an American composer and lyricist. She was best known for the standards "Willow Weep for Me" (1932) and "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" (1933).
Richard Adler was an American lyricist, writer, composer and producer of several Broadway shows.
Raymond Bernard Evans was an American songwriter best known for being a half of a composing-songwriting duo with Jay Livingston, specializing himself in writing lyrics for film songs. On music Livingston composed, Evans wrote the lyrics.
Al Stillman(néAlbert Irving Silverman; 26 June 1901 Manhattan, New York – 17 February 1979 Manhattan, New York) was an American lyricist.
Irving Gordon was an American songwriter.
Joseph Aloysius Burke was an American composer and pianist. His successful songs, written with various lyricists, included "Down Honolulu Way" (1916), "Oh How I Miss You Tonight" (1924), "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" (1929), "Moon Over Miami" (1935), "Getting Some Fun Out of Life" (1937) and "Rambling Rose" (1948) and "Painting The Clouds With Sunshine" (1929)
Bud Green was an American lyricist especially of Broadway musicals and show tunes
Bob Hilliard was an American lyricist. He wrote the words for the songs: "Alice in Wonderland", "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", "Any Day Now", "Dear Hearts and Gentle People", "Our Day Will Come", "My Little Corner of the World", "Tower of Strength" and "Seven Little Girls ".
Jack Segal was an American pianist and composer of popular American songs, known for writing the lyrics to Scarlet Ribbons. His composition May I Come In? was the title track for a Blossom Dearie album. Other songs he authored or co-authored are When Sunny Gets Blue, That's the Kind of Girl I Dream Of, I Keep Going Back to Joe's, A Boy from Texas, a Girl from Tennessee, After Me and When Joanna Loved Me. It has been estimated that his songs have helped sell 65 million records.
"Love Is Here to Stay" is a popular song and jazz standard composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin for the movie The Goldwyn Follies (1938).
Edward Ray Goetz was an American composer, lyricist, playwright, theatre director, and theatrical producer. A Tin Pan Alley songwriter, he published more than 500 songs during his career, many of them originally written for the New York stage. His songs were recorded by several artists, including Judy Garland, Al Jolson, and Blossom Seeley. He was active as both a lyricist and composer for Broadway musicals from 1906 through to 1930, collaborating with artists like George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Sigmund Romberg, and A. Baldwin Sloane to create material for the theatre.
Songwriter Allan Roberts died in Hollywood, Fla., Jan 14
Hallandale, Fla., Jan. 14 (UPI) Allan Roberts, a lyricist, died of a heart attack today at a local hospital.