Manny Kurtz

Emanuel "Manny" Kurtz (also Manny Curtis and Mann Curtis , born November 15, 1911 in Brooklyn , † December 6, 1984 in San Francisco ) was an American songwriter .

Live and act

Manny Kurtz attended high school and Brooklyn Evening College before working in music publishing. In collaboration with Vic Mizzy , a number of songs were created for the Hit Parade in 1945 , such as "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" and the song "The Whole World Is Singing My Song", which hit # 2 on the charts in 1946. In the field of jazz he was best known in 1935 through the lyrics for Duke Ellington's " In a Sentimental Mood " (with Irving Mills ). Kurtz, who was employed in the Mills office, is also registered as the co-author (again with Mills) of the lyrics of Ellington's "Delta Serenade" (1934). Kurtz was involved as an author or co-author (among others with Benny Carter , Edgar Sampson / Benny Goodman , Al Hoffman / Jerry Livingston ) on over 250 songs; he wrote the English lyrics for “Anema e core” (1954) and “Let it Be Me” (1960); the song became popular in the United States through recordings by the Everly Brothers , Elvis Presley , Betty Everett & Jerry Butler , Glen Campbell & Bobbie Gentry, and Willie Nelson . Even George Harrison recorded the song ( Early Takes: Volume 1 ).

Other well-known songs that Kurtz contributed to were:

• Blue Interlude (with Benny Carter , recorded by Artie Shaw ),
• Christmas Auld Lang Syne (with Frank Military , recorded by Bobby Darin ),
• Dark Rapture (with Edgar Sampson and Benny Goodman, recording by the Count Basie Orchestra ),
• Devil in the Moon (with Billy Hill; recordings by Taft Jordan ),
• Don't Come Crying On My Shoulder (with Arthur Altman and Murray Mencher , recorded by Louis Jordan ),
• I Struck a Match in the Dark (with Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston, recordings by Count Basie),
• The Jones Boy (with Vic Mizzy, Mills Brothers recordings ),
• The Kissing Way Home (with Harold Solomon , recordings by Dinah Washington ),
• Romance Runs in the Family ( Glenn Miller ),
• Tomboy (with Red Norvo )
• The Whole World Is Singing My Song (with Vic Mizzy, recorded by Les Brown / Doris Day 1946),
• You Meet The Nicest People In Your Dreams (with Al Goodhart and Al Hoffman , recorded by Fats Waller 1939)

The songwriter should not be confused with the British cartoonist Manny Curtis (1924–2007).

Web links

• Portrait at jazzstandards.com
• Manny Kurtz at Allmusic (English)
• Manny Kurtz at Discogs (English)
• Manny Kurtz in the Internet Movie Database (English)