Mercer, Johnny (John Herndon Mercer) (mûr`sər), 1909–76, American lyricist and songwriter, b. Savannah, Ga. Mercer, who was one of American popular music's most accomplished wordsmiths, began writing songs as a teenager; in 1929 he moved to New York City, where he worked as an actor and a singer. In 1933 he had his first hit, "Lazybones," with music by Hoagy Carmichael Carmichael, Hoagy (hō`gē) (Hoagland Howard Carmichael), 1899–1981, American songwriter, pianist, and singer, b.
..... Click the link for more information. . Two years later he moved to Hollywood, where he wrote lyrics for numerous musicals and other movies. Collaborating with Harold Arlen Arlen, Harold (är`lən), 1905–86, American jazz and popular composer, b. Buffalo, N.Y., as Hyman Arluck.
..... Click the link for more information. , Harry Warren, Jimmy McHugh, Jerome Kern Kern, Jerome (kûrn), 1885–1945, American composer of musicals, b. New York City.
..... Click the link for more information. , and others, he wrote the words for such classics as "Hooray for Hollywood" (1937), "Blues in the Night" (1941), "Skylark" (1942), "One for My Baby" (1943), and "Come Rain or Come Shine" (1946). He was nominated for 18 best-song Oscars and won 4 times, including for "Moon River" in 1961 and "Days of Wine and Roses" in 1962, both with music by Henry Mancini. Mercer also cofounded (1942) Capitol Records.

Bibliography

See biographies by P. Furia (2003) and G. Lees (2004).

Mercer, Johnny

orig. John Herndon Mercer

(born Nov. 18, 1909, Savannah, Ga., U.S.—died June 25, 1976, Bel Air, Calif.) U.S. songwriter. After moving to New York City in the late 1920s, Mercer began to write lyrics while supporting himself as an actor. He later joined Paul Whiteman's orchestra as singer and master of ceremonies. In 1939 he joined Benny Goodman's Camel Caravan radio show. In 1942 Mercer cofounded Capitol Records. On Broadway, he collaborated with Harold Arlen on St. Louis Woman (1946) and Saratoga (1959) and also provided lyrics for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), Li'l Abner (1956), and Foxy (1964). His songs for films won four Academy Awards. He collaborated with composers such as Hoagy Carmichael, Henry Mancini, Jerome Kern, and Jimmy Van Heusen and is credited with more than 1,000 lyrics, including those for “Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive,” “One for My Baby,” “Autumn Leaves,” and “Moon River.”

Mercer, (John H.) Johnny (1909–1976) lyricist, composer; born in Savannah, Ga. He collaborated with the great songwriters of his day on such popular hits as "That Old Black Magic" (1942), "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive" (1944), "Come Rain or Come Shine" (1946), and "Moon River" (1961). In 1942 he was a founder and first president of Capitol Records. He wrote some 1,500 songs for films and Broadway musicals, including the hit musical L'il Abner (1956).