George David Weiss

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George David Weiss (right) 1947, photo: William P. Gottlieb

George David Weiss (born April 9, 1921 in New York City , † August 23, 2010 in Oldwick , New Jersey ) was an American songwriter and composer .

life and work

George David Weiss was born in Manhattan in 1921 to a Jewish family . He graduated from Juilliard School ; during the Second World War he directed a military band.

After the war, Weiss wrote arrangements for Stan Kenton , Vincent Lopez and Johnny Richards . In 1946 began working with Bennie Benjamin ; they wrote hits for Perry Como ( Surrender , 1946), Frankie Carle ( Rumors Are Flying , 1946), Frank Sinatra ( Oh, What It Seemed to Be , 1946), Patti Page ( Confess , 1948), Kay Starr ( Wheel of Fortune , 1952). In 1952 Weiss wrote the text for George Shearing's Lullaby of Birdland . In the late 1950s and 1960s Weiss was involved in several Broadway productions; most successful was the musical Mr. Wonderful (1956-57) conceived for Sammy Davis Jr.

In 1961 George David Weiss wrote Can't Help Falling in Love with Luigi Creatore and Hugo Peretti for Elvis Presley . The song was intended for the musical film Blue Hawaii . In the same year he edited the South African song Mbube with Creatore and Peretti , with which The Tokens had a hit under the title The Lion Sleeps Tonight . The collaboration yielded two hits for The Stylistics ( Let's Put It All Together , Thank You Baby ) in the 1970s . In 1967 Weiss composed the song What a Wonderful World for Louis Armstrong together with Bob Thiele .

Weiss was President of the Songwriters Guild of America from 1982 to 2000, and in 1984 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame .

Weiss was married three times; The marriages produced two sons and a daughter.

literature

  • The Guardian : George David Weiss obituary . By Dave Laing on August 24, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2010
  • The New York Times : George David Weiss, Writer of Hit Pop Songs, Dies at 89 . By Margalit Fox, August 24, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2010

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Weiss, George David
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American composer
DATE OF BIRTH April 9, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City , USA
DATE OF DEATH August 23, 2010
Place of death Oldwick , New Jersey , USA