In a nutshell: It’s the hundredth birthday of Jimmy Van Heusen, who composed melodies with lyrics by Johnny Burke and Sammy Cahn for vocalists like Bing Crosby and best-friend-for-eternity Frank Sinatra.
If you hear a song from the American songbook that you know was not composed by Rogers and Hart, Cole Porter, or any of the other usual suspects, then the music at least was probably written by Jimmy Van Heusen, with lyrics either by Johnny Burke or Sammy Cahn.
This segment that aired today on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday is a great introduction to the life and work of one of America’s greatest popular song writers.
The Composer Who Tested Fighter Planes And Partied With Sinatra : NPRCourtesy of Burns Media Productions You’ve never heard of Jimmy Van Heusen? Well, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers has. You certainly know many of his songs, says Brook Babcock, Van Heusen’s grandnephew and president of his publishing company. “There’s 330,000 songwriters listed with ASCAP.
via Npr