Henry Robert Merrill Levan (May 17, 1921 – February 17, 1998) was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter. Merrill was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. His musicals for the Broadway stage include Carnival! (music and lyrics) and Funny Girl (lyrics).
The son of a sweet- manufacturer, Merrill was born in 1921 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but raised in Philadelphia. He was educated at Temple University, and then studied acting under Richard Bennett (father of the film stars Joan and Constance). He worked as a night-club singer and comedian, also touring in vaudeville before service in the Second World War, after which he hitch- hiked to Hollywood and worked as a porter before joining NBC radio as a writer. In the late 1940s he joined Columbia Pictures as a dialogue director, then moved to CBS as a television casting director.
Merrill was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and raised in Philadelphia over his family's candy factory and soda fountain. As a teenager, he wanted to be a singer and performed in all local talent contests and even worked as an impressionist-emcee at a local burlesque house. His plans for a career in show business were cut short by the advent of World War II, when he was drafted into the Horse Cavalry Division of the Army.
He started composing in 1947, though he could neither read music nor play a musical instrument. He composed by tapping out melodies on a toy xylophone, using a numbering system to notate melodies. He moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a dialogue director for Columbia Pictures. In 1950 had his first major pop hit, "Candy and Cake", a hit recording for both Arthur Godfrey and Mindy Carson. It was followed by "If I Knew You Were Coming I'd've Baked a Cake" (1950) and a string of top hits for Guy Mitchell, including in 1951 alone "My Truly Truly Fair", which sold a million records, "Belle, Belle, My Liberty Belle" and "Sparrow in the Tree Top" (which employed three melodies, two in counterpoint). British recording stars who had hits with his songs included Tony Brent with "Walkin' to Missouri" (1952) and Dickie Valentine with the liltingly pretty "All the Time and Everywhere" (1953).
Merrill made his Broadway debut in 1957 with New Girl in Town, a musical adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie. The show was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical. Take Me Along followed in 1959, with music and lyrics by Merrill, starring Jackie Gleason and Walter Pidgeon. The musical was nominated for the 1960 Tony Award for Best Musical.
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| Jule Styne, Streisand and Merrill |
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| Merrill & Jackie Gleason |
Producer David Merrick hired Merrill to write additional songs for the musical Hello, Dolly! by Jerry Herman. Merrill contributed the songs "Motherhood March" and "Elegance", as well as additional lyrics to Herman's "It Takes a Woman". Merrill did not accept billing or credit for his additions to the score. Merrill's other Broadway credits include Breakfast at Tiffany's (1966), Henry, Sweet Henry (1967), Sugar (1972) (reworked as Some Like It Hot for a 1992 production in London's West End starring Tommy Steele and a 2002-2003 United States national tour starring Tony Curtis as Osgood Fielding, Jr.), and The Red Shoes (1993). He provided lyrics to "Loss of Love", the theme song composed by Henry Mancini for the 1970 Italian drama film Sunflower.
He wrote the book and lyrics for the musical Prettybelle (1971), starring Angela Lansbury and directed by Gower Champion, which closed in Boston during tryouts. He wrote the music and lyrics for The Prince of Grand Street (1978), starring Robert Preston and directed by Gene Saks, which also closed during its Boston tryouts (following negative reviews during the earlier Philadelphia tryout). Among Merrill's television credits were two holiday specials: Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962) and The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood (1965), written for Liza Minnelli.
Merrill was married to Dolores Marquez in 1964; they divorced and he married Suzanne Reynolds in 1976.Suffering from depression by a series of debilitating illnesses, on 17 February 1998 he drove his car to a lonely spot and shot himself. He was 76 years old. A few months after he died, his last new work came out: a straight-to-video family film called The Animated Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
(Edited from Wikipedia & The Independent)
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For “Bob Merrill – And Then I Wrote... - The Songs Of Bob Merrill (2009 Jasmine)” go here:
https://pixeldrain.com/u/XSevMV5r
1-1 Bob Merrill–(If I Knew You Were Comin') I'd've Baked A Cake
1-2 Bob Merrill–Toys
1-3 Bob Merrill–Candy And Cake
1-4 Bob Merrill–My Truly Truly Fair
1-5 Bob Merrill–Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
1-6 Bob Merrill–Sparrow In The Treetop
1-7 Bob Merrill–Walkin' To Missouri
1-8 Bob Merrill–So Beautiful Is The Glow
1-9 Bob Merrill–Feet Up
1-10 Bob Merrill–Belle, Belle, My Liberty Belle
1-11 Bob Merrill–Lovers' Gold
1-12 Bob Merrill–(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window
1-13 Bob Merrill–I'm Nothin' But A Dreamer
1-14 Bob Merrill–Mambo Italiano
1-15 Bob Merrill–Our First Kiss
1-16 Bob Merrill–Make Yourself Comfortable
1-17 Bob Merrill–Chow Mein
1-18 Bob Merrill–When I Was Young
1-19 Mindy Carson–All The Time And Everywhere
1-20 Guy Mitchell– Beggar In Love
1-21 Don Cherry – Belle, Belle, My Liberty Belle
1-22 Frankie Laine–Bubbles
1-23 Patti Page–Butterflies
1-24 Vaughn Monroe–Butterscotch Mop
1-25 Arthur Godfrey–Candy And Cake
1-26 Ernest Tubb & Red Foley–Chicken Song
1-27 The Gaylords– Chow Mein
1-28 Jill Corey & The Four Lads– Cleo And Me-O
1-29 Burl Ives–Donut Song
1-30 Jill Corey–Edward
1-31 Billy Eckstine–Fools Paradise
2-1 Jimmie Rodgers –Honeycomb
2-2 Eartha Kitt–I Wancha Around
2-3 Guy Mitchell & Mindy Carson–I Want You For A Sunbeam
2-4 Mindy Carson–I Wish I Wish
2-5 Eileen Barton–(If I Knew You Were Comin') I'd've Baked A Cake
2-6 Rosemary Clooney–Key To My Heart
2-7 Frankie Laine–Kid's Last Fight
2-8 Texas Jim Robertson & The Fontane Sisters–Let Me In
2-9 Tony Martin – Look At 'Er
2-10 Ella Fitzgerald–Lovers Gold
2-11 Tony Bennett– Madonna Madonna
2-12 Sarah Vaughan–Make Yourself Comfortable
2-13 Dean Martin– Mambo Italiano
2-14 Eileen Rodgers–Miracle Of Love
2-15 Bob Merrill–Nairobi
2-16 Doris Day–Ooh Bang Jiggily Jang
2-17 Johnny Ray–Parade Of Broken Hearts
2-18 Tony Bennett– Punch And Judy Love
2-19 Bonnie Lou–Rusty Old Halo
2-20 Mitch Miller– St. Lawrence River
2-21 Guy Mitchell– She Wears Red Feathers
2-22 Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters–Sparrow In The Treetop
2-23 Teresa Brewer–Sweet Old Fashioned Girl
2-24 June Valli–Tell Me Tell Me
2-25 Patti Page–(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window
2-26 Perry Como–Tina Marie
2-27 Bunny Paul–Two Castanets
2-28 Valerie Carr–When The Boys Talk About The Girls
2-29 Rosemary Clooney–Where Will The Dimple Be
2-30 Tennessee Ernie Ford–You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry
Bob Merrill was one of popular music's most prolific and popular songwriters who despite being unable to read music wrote more pop hits in the '50s than anyone else. This 2CD set has a whopping 61 tracks featuring a multitude of big name artists. It also includes his first big hit and in fact million seller 'If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake' with Eileen Barton, and the ever popular novelty smash 'Doggie in the Window' which was No. 1 in America for eight weeks. Hel also wrote some successful Broadway shows and went on to write lyrics for more modern day artists such as Barbra Streisand. (Jasmine notes)
thanks
Thanks, Bob, I've sent you an email.
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