Al Lewis (April 18, 1901April 4, 1967) was an American lyricist, songwriter and music publisher. He is thought of mostly as a

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...

era

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income ...

; however, he did write music on occasion as well. Professionally he was most active during the 1920s working into the 1950s. During this time, he most often collaborated with popular songwriters

Al Sherman Avrum Sherman (September 7, 1897 – September 16, 1973), pen name Al Sherman, was a Russian-American songwriter and composer active during the Tin Pan Alley era in American music history. Some of his most recognizable song titles include: "Yo ...

and

Abner Silver Abner Silberman (28 December 1899, in New York City, New York, United States – 24 November 1966) as pen name Abner Silver, was an American songwriter who worked primarily during the Tin Pan Alley era of the craft. Career Usually composing the m ...

. Among his most famous songs are "

Blueberry Hill "Blueberry Hill" is a popular American song published in 1940, best remembered for its 1950s rock and roll version by Fats Domino. The music was written by Vincent Rose, the lyrics by Larry Stock and Al Lewis. It was recorded six times in 1940 ...

" and "

You Gotta Be a Football Hero "You Gotta Be a Football Hero" is a song written by Al Sherman, Buddy Fields and Al Lewis in 1933. It is one of the most widely recorded and performed American football anthems of all time. Recording artists *Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanian ...

Songwriters on Parade

Between 1931 and 1934, during the last days of

Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

, Lewis and several other hitmakers of the day performed in a revue called " Songwriters on Parade", performing all across the Eastern seaboard on the Loew's and Keith circuits.

Career revival in the 1950s

Lewis's career received a boost in 1956 when "

", a song he had co-written in the 1940s with

Larry Stock Larry Stock, December 4, 1896 - April 5, 1984) was an American songwriter. Biography Born 'Lazarus Goldberger' in 1896 in New York City, the son of Adolf Goldberger and Ella Goldberger ne Ehrlich. Ella Ehrlich and her sister Bella along with their ...

, became a big hit for

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

. Two years later Lewis and Sylvester Bradford, a blind African-American songwriter, wrote "

Tears on My Pillow "Tears on My Pillow" is a doo-wop song written by Sylvester Bradford and Al Lewis in 1958. The composition was first recorded by Little Anthony and the Imperials on End Records and was that group's debut recording under that name. Their origi ...

", which was a hit for

Little Anthony and the Imperials Little Anthony and the Imperials is an American rhythm and blues/soul vocal group from New York City founded by Clarence Collins in the 1950s and named in part for its lead singer, Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine, who was noted for his h ...

Hit songs

* 1926 "Gonna Get a Girl" composed by Howard Simon * 1929 " He's So Unusual" * 1929 " Good Morning, Good Evening, Good Night" * 1930 "

Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight" is a popular song that was written by Al Sherman and Al Lewis for the 1930 film ''The Big Pond'' starring Maurice Chevalier, who made it famous. On March 22, 1930 Bing Crosby and the Paul White ...

" * 1931 " Ninety-Nine Out of a Hundred", a

Rudy Vallee Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

hit vocal. * 1931 " Got the Bench, Got the Park" * 1933 "

Now's the Time to Fall in Love "Now's The Time To Fall In Love" is a 1931 song from the Depression era written by Tin Pan Alley tunesmiths Al Sherman and Al Lewis. The song was made popular by Eddie Cantor on his weekly radio show. The song takes a positive attitude toward t ...

", an

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, and early television audiences, ...

hit vocal. * 1933 "

" * 1936 "Hypnotized" * 1940 "

" * 1941 "Rose O'Day" * 1958 "

", written with Sylvester Bradford, recorded by

* 1959 "I'm Ready" with

& Sylvester Bradford

References

External links

Al Lewis recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Al 1901 births 1967 deaths 20th-century American musicians Jewish American songwriters Musicians from New York City Songwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American Jews