Syn adwokata z Georgii i agenta nieruchomości, który jako uczeń pisał piosenki, rozpoczął karierę w Nowym Jorku pod koniec lat 20-tych, gdzie początkowo aspirował do roli aktora teatralnego i dostał kilka pomniejszych ról, ale wkrótce rozwinął swoje talenty, jako autor piosenek, po utworze, który napisał, został wykorzystany w musicalu Garrick Gaieties Of 1930 na Broadwayu w 1930 roku. W 1932r Mercer wygrał konkurs talentów jako piosenkarz i został zatrudniony przez Paula Whitemana do swojego niezwykle popularnego big bandu. W następnych latach Mercer występował w duecie z Jackiem Teagardenem i Bingiem Crosbym, śpiewał dla Benny'ego Goodmana (1938/39), a na początku lat 40-tych miał własną audycję radiową Johnny Mercer's Music Shop.
Ponad tuzin jego nagrań znalazło się w pierwszej dziesiątce listy przebojów Billboard, a cztery znalazły się na pierwszym miejscu. Ale Mercer odniósł najtrwalszy sukces jako autor piosenek. W krótkim czasie opublikował wiele piosenek we współpracy z takimi kompozytorami jak Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael, Bernie Hanighen, Jerome David Kern, Matty Malneck, Harry Warren i Richard Whiting, a później zwłaszcza z Henrym Mancinim, które zostały zinterpretowane we współczesnych interpretacjach przez wokalistów takich jak Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday czy Rudy Vallée i orkiestry takie jak Glenna Millera czy Tommy Dorsey'a przez lata dominowali na listach przebojów, czasami stali się wiecznie granymi do dziś i uczyniły Mercera jednym z najwybitniejszych autorów Great American Songbook.
W ciągu swojego życia napisał prawie 1000 piosenek. Mercer, który od 1935 roku pisał także sztuki do wielu hollywoodzkich filmów, czterokrotnie zdobył Oscara (za „On the Atchison”, „Topeka and the Santa Fe” z Harrym Warrenem w 1945 roku, „In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening” z Hoagym Carmichaelem w 1951 oraz za Moon River 1961 i Days Of Wine And Roses 1962, oba z Henrym Mancinim), 14 kolejnych jego piosenek było nominowanych do Oscara, ostatnio Life Is What You Make It 1971. Mercer odniósł również sukces z angielskimi tekstami dla europejskich pieśni, jak Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles Mortes, 1950), When The World Was Young (Le Chevalier de Paris, 1950) czy Summer Wind (Sommerwind, 1965). Jego piosenki wywarły szczególny wpływ na repertuar Franka Sinatry, z którym Mercer przez dziesięciolecia był również bliskim prywatnym przyjacielem i który nagrał ponad pięć tuzinów swoich piosenek i przez dziesięciolecia trzymał je w programie, w tym klasykę z salonu One, pierwotnie napisany dla Freda Astaire'a dla My Baby i ballady Come Rain lub Come Shine. Jedna z jego ostatnich kompozycji, Empty Tables, została napisana specjalnie dla Sinatry przez Mercera w 1973 roku.
W 1942 roku, wraz z kompozytorem i producentem filmowym Buddym DeSylvą oraz biznesmenem Glennem Wallichsem, Mercer założył firmę fonograficzną Capitol Records, której został pierwszym prezesem. Z artystami takimi jak Paul Whiteman, Ella Mae Morse, Stan Kenton, Jo Stafford, Nat King Cole i Margaret Whiting, Capitol był już odpowiedzialny za szóstą część wszystkich płyt sprzedanych w USA w 1946 roku. W 1955 roku, dwa lata po tym, jak Frank Sinatra dołączył do Capitolu, Mercer sprzedał swoje udziały w wytwórni za miliony. W 1969 Mercer był współzałożycielem Songwriters Hall of Fame i został jej pierwszym prezesem.
Aktywny w ostatnich miesiącach życia Mercer doznał powikłań związanych z guzem mózgu latem 1976 roku. Jeden z jego ostatnich tekstów, When October Goes, do muzyki ułożył w tym samym roku Barry Manilow.
W 2004 roku Gene Lees, sam płodny kompozytor i muzyk jazzowy, opublikował obszerną biografię Johnny'ego Mercera.
W 2006 roku urodzony w Nowym Orleanie pianista dr. John wydał album Mercernary, na którym ponownie nagrał wiele znanych utworów Johnny'ego Mercera.
| Single | ||||||
| Tytuł | Wykonawca | Data wydania | UK | US | Wytwórnia [UK] |
Komentarz |
| Strip Polka/The Air-Minded Executive | Johnny Mercer | 09.1942 | - | 7[6] | Capitol 103 | [written by Johnny Mercer] |
| I Lost My Sugar In Salt Lake City / The Wreck Of The Old | Johnny Mercer | 01.1943 | - | 19[1] | Capitol 122 | [written by Johnny Lange, Leon Rene][piosenka z filmu "Stormy weather"] |
| G. I. Jive/(I'm Going To Sit Right Down And) Write Myself A Letter | Johnny Mercer | 01.1944 | - | 13[5] | Capitol 141 | [written by Johnny Mercer] |
| San Fernando Valley/ Someone's In The Kitchen With Dinah | Johnny Mercer And The Barries | 04.1944 | - | 20[1] | Capitol 150 | [written by Gordon Jenkins] |
| Sam's Got Him/Duration Blues | Johnny Mercer | 09.1944 | - | 19[1] | Capitol 164 | [written by Donald Kahn] |
| Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive/ There's A Fellow Waiting In Poughkeepsie [June Hutton And The Pied Pipers] | Johnny Mercer And The Pied Pipers | 01.1945 | - | 1[2][16] | Capitol 180 | [written by Harold Arlen,Johnny Mercer][piosenka z filmu Here Comes The Waves"] |
| Candy/I'm Gonna See My Baby | Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford And The Pied Pipers | 02.1942 | - | A:1[1][19];B:12[2] | Capitol 183 | [A:written by Mack David,Joan Whitney,Alex Kramer][B:written by Phil Moore] |
| On The Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe/Conversation While Dancing | Johnny Mercer And The Pied Pipers | 07.1945 | - | 1[8][19] | Capitol 195 | [written by Harry Warren,Johnny Mercer][piosenka z filmu "The Harvey Girls"] |
| Surprise Party/Camptown Races | Johnny Mercer | 11.1945 | - | 16[1] | Capitol 217 | [written by Bob Hilliard,Walter Bishop, Sr.] |
| Personality/If I Knew Then | Johnny Mercer | 01.1946 | - | 1[2][15] | Capitol 230 | [written by Jimmy Van Heusen And Johnny Burke][piosenka z filmu "Road To Utopia"] |
| My Sugar Is So Refined/Ugly Chile (You're Some Pretty Doll) | Johnny Mercer And The Pied Pipers | 08.1946 | - | A:11[9];B:22[1] | Capitol 268 | [A:written by Lippmann, Dee][B:written by Clarence Williams] |
| Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah/Ev'rybody Has A Laughing Place | Johnny Mercer And The Pied Pipers | 12.1946 | - | 8[8] | Capitol 323 | [written by Ray Gilbert,Allie Wrubel][piosenka z filmu "Song Of The South"][#8 hit for Bob B. Sox & The Blue Jeans in 1963] |
| Winter Wonderland/A Gal In Calico | Johnny Mercer And The Pied Pipers | 01.1947 | - | A:4[1];B:5[10] | Capitol 316 | [A:written by Felix Bernard,Dick Smith][B:written by Robin, Schwartz][A:#2 hit for Guy Lombardo in 1934][B:piosenka z filmu "The Time,The Place and The Girl"] |
| Huggin' And A Chalkin'/Take Me Back To Little Rock (Arkansas) | Johnny Mercer And The Pied Pipers | 01.1947 | - | 8[7] | Capitol 334 | [written by Clancy Hayes, Kermit Goell] |
| I Do Do Do Like You/Movie Tonight | Johnny Mercer | 04.1947 | - | 13[2] | Capitol 367 | [written by Allie Wrubel] |
| Sugar Blues/Why Should I Cry Over You? | Johnny Mercer | 09.1947 | - | 4[8] | Capitol 448 | [written by Clarence Williams, Lucy Fletcher][#2 hit for Clyde McCoy in 1932;#92 hit for Ace Cannon in 1962] |
| Save The Bones For Henry Jones ('Cause Henry Don't Eat No Meat)/Harmony | Johnny Mercer And The Nat King Cole Trio | 10.1947 | - | A:12[1];B:12[1] | Capitol 15 000 | [A:written by Danny Barker, Vernon Lee][B:written by Johnny Burke, James Van Heusen][B:piosenka z filmu "Variety Girl"] |
| Baby, It's Cold Outside/I Never Heard You Say | Margaret Whiting And Johnny Mercer | 05.1949 | - | 3[19] | Capitol 57-567 | [written by Alex Kramer, Joan Whiting][piosenka z filmu "Neptune's Daughter"] |
| The Glow Worm/The New Ashmolean (Marching Society And Students Conservatory Band) | Johnny Mercer And The Blue Reys | 10.1952 | - | 30[1] | Capitol 2248 | [written by Paul Lincke, Lilla Cayley Robinson] |
[with Harry Warren] 1938 Something Tells Me Fats Waller 11.US 1938 You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra 8.US 1938 You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby Bing Crosby 1.US 1938 Day Dreaming Rudy Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees 8.US 1938 Jeepers Creepers Al Donahue and His Orchestra 1.US 1938 Jeepers Creepers Larry Clinton and His Orchestra 12.US 1945 On the Atchison, Topeka and Sante Fe Johnny Mercer 1.US 1945 On the Atchison, Topeka and Sante Fe Bing Crosby 3.US 1945 On the Atchison, Topeka and Sante Fe Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra 6.US 1945 On the Atchison, Topeka and Sante Fe Tommy Tucker Time 10.US 1945 On the Atchison, Topeka and Sante Fe Judy Garland 9.US 1961 You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby Bobby Darin 5.US/10.UK 1967 You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby The Dave Clark Five 35.US [with Al Dubin,Harry Warren] 1938 Garden of the Moon Red Norvo & His Orchestra 6.US 1938 Girl Friend of the Whirling Dervish Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians 20.US [with Harold Arlen] .1941 This Time the Dream's on Me The Glenn Miller Orchestra 11.US 11/1941 Blues in the Night Artie Shaw and His Orchestra 10.US 01/1942 Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol' Me) Woody Herman and His Orchestra 1.US 02/1942 Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol' Me) Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra 4.US 02/1942 Blues in the Night Benny Goodman and His Orchestra 18.US 02/1942 Blues in the Night Dinah Shore 4.US 03/1942 Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol' Me) Cab Calloway 8.US 02/1943 That Old Black Magic Charlie Barnet and His Orchestra 15.US 03/1943 That Old Black Magic Freddie Slack and His Orchestra 10.US 04/1943 That Old Black Magic Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights 14.US 01/1944 My Shining Hour Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra 4.US 01/1945 Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive Johnny Mercer 1.US 01/1945 Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive Artie Shaw and His Orchestra 5.US 02/1945 Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters 2.US 02/1945 Let's Take the Long Way Home Jo Stafford 14.US 02/1945 Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive Kay Kyser and His Orchestra 12.US 03/1945 One for My Baby (And One More for the Road) Lena Horne 21.US 07/1945 Out of This World Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra 12.US 07/1945 Out of This World Jo Stafford 9.US 06/1946 Come Rain or Come Shine Margaret Whiting 17.US 09/1952 Blues in the Night Rosemary Clooney 17.US 07/1955 That Old Black Magic Sammy Davis, Jr. 13.US/16.UK 05/1957 One for My Baby Tony Bennett 49.US 11/1958 That Old Black Magic Louis Prima & Keely Smith 18.US 01/1968 Come Rain or Come Shine Ray Charles 98.US [with Henry Mancini] Moon River Danny Williams 1.UK 1961 Moon River Jerry Butler 11.US 1961 Moon River Henry Mancini and His Orchestra 11.US 1961 Days of Wine and Roses Pat Boone 117.US 1963 Days of Wine and Roses Henry Mancini 33.US 1963 Days of Wine and Roses Andy Williams 26.US 1963 Charade Henry Mancini 36.US 1963 Charade Andy Williams 100.US 1964 Charade Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye 36.US 1964 The Sweetheart Tree Henry Mancini 117.US 1965 The Sweetheart Tree Johnny Mathis 108.US 1965 Moment to Moment Frank Sinatra 115.US 1965 Moon River Greyhound 12.UK 1972 [with Hoagy Carmichael] .1933 Lazy Bones Mildred Bailey 9.US .1933 Lazy Bones Don Redman & His Orchestra 4.US .1933 Lazybones Ted Lewis & His Band 1.US .1940 Ooh! What You Said The Glenn Miller Orchestra 13.US .1942 Skylark The Glenn Miller Orchestra 7.US 05/1942 Skylark Harry James and His Orchestra 16.US 05/1942 Skylark Dinah Shore 20.US 07/1942 Skylark Bing Crosby 19.US 08/1951 In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman 11.US 08/1951 In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening Jo Stafford and Frankie Laine 17.US 04/1960 Skylark Michael Holliday 39.UK 05/1971 Lazy Bones Jonathan King 23.UK 12/1984 Skylark Linda Ronstadt 101.US [with Matty Malneck ] .1934 If I Had a Million Dollars Richard Himber & His Orchestra 12.US .1934 If I Had a Million dollars Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra 17.US .1934 Pardon My Southern Accent Irving Aaronson & His Commanders 5.US .1934 Pardon My Southern Accent Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra 13.US .1936 Goody Goody Freddy Martin and His Orchestra 5.US .1936 Goody Goody Bob Crosby and His Orchestra 7.US 07/1957 Goody Goody Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers 20.US/24.UK [with Gordon Jenkins] .1934 P.S. I Love You Rudy Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees 12.US .1934 You Have Taken My Heart Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra 16.US 06/1953 P.S. I Love You The Hilltoppers 4.US 06/1960 P.S. I Love You The Starlets 106.US 09/1963 P.S. I Love You The Classics 120.US [solo] .1935 If You Were Mine Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra 12.US .1936 I'm an Old Cowhand Bing Crosby 2.US .1936 Welcome Stranger Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra 18.US .1939 You Grow Sweeter as the Years Go By Artie Shaw and His Orchestra 15.US 09/1942 Strip Polka Johnny Mercer 7.US 09/1942 Strip Polka Alvino Rey and His Orchestra 8.US 10/1942 Strip Polka Kay Kyser and His Orchestra 5.US 10/1942 Strip Polka The Andrews Sisters 6.US 01/1943 I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City Johnny Mercer 19.US 01/1944 G.I. Jive Johnny Mercer 13.US 05/1944 G.I. Jive Louis Jordan 1.US 03/1945 Dream Pied Pipers 1.US 04/1945 Dream Freddy Martin and His Orchestra 8.US 06/1945 Dream Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra 13.US 06/1945 Dream Frank Sinatra 5.US 09/1954 Dream The Four Aces 17.US 04/1955 Something's Gotta Give The McGuire Sisters 15.US 06/1955 Something's Gotta Give Sammy Davis Jr. 9.US/11.UK 05/1957 Bernadine Pat Boone 14.US 06/1958 Dream Betty Johnson 19.US 06/1961 Dream Etta James 55.US 05/1962 Dream Dinah Washington 92.US 02/1969 Dream Sajid Khan 119.US [with Phil Ohman] .1936 Dream Awhile Eddy Duchin and His Orchestra 15.US .1936 Lost Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians 1.US .1936 Lost Hal Kemp and His Orchestra 7.US 09/1950 Dream Awhile Frank De Vol 28.US [with Fred Astaire] .1936 I'm Building Up to an Awful Let-Down Fred Astaire 4.US 12/1975 It's Gonna Be a Cold Cold Christmas Dana 4.UK 09/1976 Every Night's a Saturday Night with You The Drifters 29.UK 02/1980 It's Like We Never Said Goodbye Crystal Gayle 63.US 07/1987 Doin' the Crab Michael Barrymore 81.UK [with Phil Ohman, & Teeter] .1936 Lost Jan Garber and His Orchestra 6.US [with Bernie Hanighen] .1937 Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight) Mildred Bailey 14.US .1937 Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight?) Bing Crosby and Connee Boswell 1.US .1938 Weekend of a Private Secretary Red Norvo & His Orchestra 10.US [with Richard Whiting] .1937 Have You Got Any Castles, Baby? Gus Arnheim & His Orchestra 11.US .1937 Have You Got Any Castles, Baby? Dolly Dawn & Her Dawn Patrol 8.US .1937 Have You Got Any Castles, Baby? Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra 2.US .1937 Too Marvelous for Words Leo Reisman and His Orchestra 16.US .1937 Too Marvelous for Words Bing Crosby 1.US .1938 I'll Dream Tonight Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra 14.US .1938 I've Hitched My Wagon to a Star Jan Garber and His Orchestra 14.US [with Walter Donaldson] .1939 (Gotta Get Some) Shut-Eye Kay Kyser and His Orchestra 6.US .1939 Could Be Johnny Messner & His Orchestra 3.US .1939 Cuckoo in the Clock Kay Kyser and His Orchestra 5.US .1939 Gotta Get Some Shuteye Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra 16.US .1939 Smarty Pants Eddy Duchin and His Orchestra 17.US .1940 Mister Meadowlark Bing Crosby and Johnny Mercer 18.US [with Ziggy Elman] .1939 And the Angels Sing Count Basie 16.US .1939 And the Angels Sing Bing Crosby 10.US 10/1944 And the Angels Sing Benny Goodman and His Orchestra 23.US [with Rube Bloom] .1939 Day in, Day Out Artie Shaw and His Orchestra 11.US .1939 Day in, Day Out Kay Kyser and His Orchestra 11.US .1939 Day in, Day Out Bob Crosby and His Orchestra 1.US .1940 Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread) The Glenn Miller Orchestra 1.US 08/1940 Fools Rush in (Where Angels Fear to Tread) Tony Martin 16.US 08/1940 Fools Rush in (Where Angels Fear to Tread) Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra 17.US 11/1960 Fools Rush in (Where Angels Fear to Tread) Brook Benton 24.US/50.UK 10/1962 Fools Rush In Etta James 87.US 09/1963 Fools Rush In Ricky Nelson 12.US/12.UK 01/1976 Fools Rush In Joey Porrello 108.US [with Jimmy McHugh] .1940 I'd Know You Anywhere The Glenn Miller Orchestra 24.US .1940 You've Got Me This Way The Glenn Miller Orchestra 12.US .1941 You're the One (For Me) Orrin Tucker and His Orchestra 21.US 01/1941 You've Got Me This Way Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra 14.US 01/1941 The Bad Humor Man Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra 19.US 01/1941 You've Got Me This Way Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra 16.US [with James "Trummy" Young, Jimmy Mundy] .1942 Trav'lin' Light Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra 23.US [with Victor Schertzinger ] 04/1942 Tangerine Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra 1.US 04/1942 I Remember You Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra 9.US 05/1942 Tangerine Vaughn Monroe 16.US 07/1962 I Remember You Frank Ifield 5.US/1.UK 07/1966 I Remember You Slim Whitman 134.US 01/1976 Tangerine The Salsoul Orchestra 18.US [with Jerome Kern] 11/1942 Dearly Beloved Johnnie Johnston 15.US 12/1942 Dearly Beloved Dinah Shore 10.US [with David Raksin] 04/1945 Laura Jerry Wald and His Orchestra 8.US 04/1945 Laura Woody Herman and His Orchestra 4.US 04/1945 Laura Freddy Martin and His Orchestra 6.US 05/1945 Laura Dick Haymes 9.US 06/1945 Laura Johnnie Johnston 5.US 08/1951 Laura Stan Kenton and His Orchestra 12.US [with Paul Lincke, Heinz Bolten-Backers, Lilla Cayley Robinson] 09/1952 The Glow-Worm The Mills Brothers 1.US/10.UK 10/1952 The Glow Worm Johnny Mercer 30.US [with Ralph Burns, Woody Herman] 10/1952 Early Autumn Jo Stafford 25.US [with Gene De Paul] 11/1954 The Lonesome Polecat The McGuire Sisters 28.US 10/1956 Namely You Don Cherry 65.US 10/1956 Love in a Home Doris Day 79.US 10/1956 You Can't Run Away from It The Four Aces 20.US [with Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert] 08/1955 Autumn Leaves Roger Williams 1.US 11/1955 Autumn Leaves Victor Young and His Singing Strings 52.US 11/1955 Autumn Leaves Mitch Miller 41.US 11/1955 Autumn Leaves Jackie Gleason 50.US 11/1955 Autumn Leaves The Ray Charles Singers 55.US 11/1955 Autumn Leaves Steve Allen 35.US 01/1994 Autumn Leaves Coldcut 50.UK [with Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill] 04/1961 The Bilbao Song Andy Williams 37.US [with Lionel Hampton, Sonny Burke] 10/1962 Midnight Sun The Five Whispers 115.US [with Sadie Vimmerstedt] 01/1963 I Wanna Be Around Tony Bennett 14.US [with Elmer Bernstein] 02/1964 Love with the Proper Stranger Jack Jones 62.US [with Henry Mayer] 07/1965 Summer Wind Wayne Newton 78.US 08/1965 Summer Wind Roger Williams 109.US 09/1966 Summer Wind Frank Sinatra 25.US/36.UK [with Doris Tauber ] 05/1973 I've Been Drinking Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart 27.UK [with Barry Manilow] 11/1984 When October Goes Barry Manilow 85.UK [with Henry Mancini, Franco Migliacci] 04/2011 It Had Better Be Tonight Michael Bublé 74.UK |
Brak komentarzy:
Prześlij komentarz