Seymour "Cy" Coben (4 April 1919 – 26 May 2006) was an American songwriter whose hits were recorded by bandleaders, country singers, and other artists such as

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

, Tommy Cooper and

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy ( ; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor and director, famous for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes Development of Spock, originating Spock in Star Trek: T ...

Biography

Early life

Coben was born in

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, United States, the youngest son of Harris ("Harry") Cohen and Nettie Brandt Cohen, and was originally named Seymour. His father was a wholesale meat supplier in New York City. Coben learned to play the trumpet and studied at a local music academy. In 1942 he had his first charting song with "My Little Cousin", which

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

's orchestra and vocalist

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local r ...

took to No. 14. Coben spent the next several years in the Navy, serving in the South Pacific as a pharmacist's mate. On his return in 1946, he resumed his song writing career. He wrote "A Good Woman's Love" for his wife Shirley Nagel, whom he married in 1948.

Post-war career

In 1947, Coben wrote a

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and w ...

called "(When You See) Those Flying Saucers" which was released as a single by the Buchanan Brothers; his co-author was Charles Randolph Grean, who was working for RCA/Victor. Grean was to become a long-time collaborator of Coben's. In 1949, Coben first visited Nashville and soon became a part of the music business there. In Nashville, Coben wrote for a variety of artists, but was especially associated with Eddy Arnold; he wrote " There's Been a Change in Me" and " I Wanna Play House With You," two No. 1 country hits for Arnold in 1951, and went on to write many other songs for him, often with Charles Grean, who was Arnold's manager - " Eddy's Song", a No. 1 country hit in 1953; "Free Home Demonstration" (No. 4 country) in 1954, and others. Coben and Grean also wrote songs for other artists, such as their version of " Sweet Violets", which charted for

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, television personality, and the chart-topping female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during the ...

and Jane Turzy in 1951. Coben wrote " Nobody's Child" with Mel Foree;

Hank Snow Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow (May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian country music guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' country charts betw ...

recorded it in 1949.

Lonnie Donegan Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002) was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the " King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Scotland and brought ...

later brought it to the United Kingdom, and the Beatles recorded it with

Tony Sheridan Anthony Esmond Sheridan McGinnity (21 May 1940 – 16 February 2013), known professionally as Tony Sheridan, was an English rock and roll guitarist who spent much of his adult life in Germany. He was best known as an early collaborator of th ...

during their early days playing in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Coben wrote many novelty songs; one of his biggest novelty hits was "The Old

Piano Roll Blues The piano roll blues or old piano roll blues is a figure of speech designating a legal argument (or the response to that argument) made in US patent law relating to computer software. The argument is that a newly programmed general-purpose digital ...

" (1950). He also wrote for Homer and Jethro - "The Billboard Song" became a much-recorded favorite, and "Don't Jump Off the Roof, Dad" was later a hit for British comedian Tommy Cooper. Coben wrote "How to Catch a Man" for country comedian Minnie Pearl and it became one of her standards. In 1977 country-rock band The

New Riders of the Purple Sage New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco in 1969 and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. The band is sometimes referred to ...

recorded Coben's "Red Hot Women and Ice Cold Beer," in which Coben drew on his World War II experience in the U.S. Navy to describe what sailors wanted. His old collaborator Charles Grean was

's record producer, and Coben wrote several songs for him, such as "Alien" and "The Difference Between Us".

Reception in Europe

Coben's humor and sentiment translated well to the European market. Bill Ramsey took Coben's "Souvenirs" to No. 1 in Germany in 1959, and Belgian star

Will Tura Arthur Achiel Albert, Ridder (title), Knight Blanckaert (born 2 August 1940 in Veurne), known by his stage name Will Tura, is a Belgian artist considered as the most successful Flemish-speaking singer of the 20th century. Famous in Flanders and th ...

recorded a number of Coben tunes ("Show Me the Man"/"Waar is de man"; "The Great El Tigre"/"El Bandido"). "Goethe War Gut" charted in Germany for

Rudi Carrell Rudi Carrell (born Rudolf Wijbrand Kesselaar; 19 December 1934 – 7 July 2006) was a Dutch entertainer. Along with famous entertainers such as Johannes Heesters and Linda de Mol, he was one of the most successful Dutch personalities active ...

in 1978.

Later career

Comedian

Sheb Wooley Shelby Fredrick Wooley (April 10, 1921 – September 16, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He recorded a series of novelty songs, including the 1958 hit rock-and-roll comedy single "The Purple People Eater", and under the name ...

's 1968 song "Country Music Hall of Fame" (as Hee Haw regular "Ben Colder") envisioned Coben as a Hall of Fame inductee. But Coben was never elected to the

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...

or the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, according to his friend "Cowboy" Jack Clement, because "the young folks just don't know about him." Coben retired to

Atherton, California Atherton ( ) is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 6,823 as of July 2023 estimates. The town's zoning regulations permit only one single-family home per acre in new subdivisions, though smal ...

. He died on May 26, 2006, aged 87.

Charting hits

*"My Little Cousin" (Coben/Happy Lewis/Sam Braverman) - No. 14 hit for Benny Goodman/Peggy Lee in 1942 *"There's No Wings On My Angel" (Coben/Arnold/Doug Melsher) - No. 6 Country/Western hit for Eddy Arnold, 1949 *"I Love the Guy" (Coben) - No. 10 pop hit for

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (, March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "List of nicknames of jazz musicians, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

and No. 22 for Fran Warren in 1950 *"Old Piano Roll Blues" - in 1950, charted for

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor, author and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s and 1940s, a ...

and Cass Daley (No. 11); Lawrence Cook (No. 13); Cliff Steward and the San Francisco Boys (No. 18);

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. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era. Some of h ...

, Lisa Kirk, and the Sammy Kaye Orchestra (No. 25); Jan Garber and His Orchestra (No. 30); and The Jubalaires (No. 25). It also appeared on the soundtrack of the 1951 movie '' Rich, Young and Pretty''David F. Lonergan, ''Hit Records, 1950-1975'', Oxford, UK: Scarecrow Press, 2005, p. 165. *"There's Been a Change in Me" (Coben) - No. 1 Country/Western hit for Eddy Arnold, 1951 *"I Wanna Play House with You" (Coben) - No. 1 Country/Western hit for Eddy Arnold, 1951 *"Meanderin'" (Coben/George Botsford/Charles R. Grean) - No. 28 pop hit for

Vaughn Monroe Vaughn Wilton Monroe (October 7, 1911 – May 21, 1973) was an American baritone singer, trumpeter and big band leader who was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for recording and another f ...

in 1951 *"Something Old, Something New" (Coben/Grean) - B side of "I Wanna Play House with You", reached No. 4 for Arnold *" Sweet Violets" - arranged by Coben and Grean; No. 3 pop hit for

, 1951; another 1951 version by Jane Turzy reached No. 11 on the Billboard jukebox chart, and Doris Drew took it to No. 22 *"Lonely Little Robin" (Coben) - No. 14 jukebox hit for The Pinetoppers in 1951; also No. 25 radio hit for Mindy Carson *"Never Been Kissed" (Coben/Grean) - No. 19 pop hit for Freddy Martin in 1951 *" Easy on the Eyes" (Coben/Arnold) - No. 1 Country/Western hit for Eddy Arnold, 1952 *" Lady's Man" (Cy Coben) - No. 2 Country/Western hit for

in 1952 *"Older and Bolder" (Cy Coben) - No. 3 Country/Western hit for Eddy Arnold in 1952 *"Do I Like It" (Coben) - No. 6 C/W hit for Carl Smith in 1953 *" Eddy's Song" (Charlie Grean, Cy Coben) - No. 1 Country/Western hit for Eddy Arnold in 1953 *"Free Home Demonstration" (Grean, Coben) - No. 4 Country/Western hit for Eddy Arnold in 1953 *"Beware of 'It'" - No. 9 C/W hit for Johnnie & Jack in 1954 *"Hep Cat Baby" - No. 7 Country/Western hit for Eddy Arnold in 1954 *"That Crazy Mambo Thing" - No. 10 C/W hit for Hank Snow in 1954 *"Would You Mind" - No. 3 C/W hit for Hank Snow, 1955 *"I Saw Esau" - No. 51 pop hit for The Ames Brothers in 1956 *"My Treasure" (Coben/Bill Templeton) - No. 31 pop hit for The Hilltoppers in 1956 *"Souvenirs" (Coben) - No. 1 hit in Germany for Bill Ramsey in 1959 *"Souvenirs, Souvenirs" (Coben) The

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and Pop music, pop singer and actor, credited with having brought rock and roll to France. During a career ...

version of Coben's "Souvenirs", as adapted in French by Fernand Bonifay, was Hallyday's very first smash hit in France (#13), issued on June 13, 1960. *"Don't Jump Off the Roof, Dad" - charted in the UK for Tommy Cooper in 1961 *"That Greasy Kid Stuff" - reached No. 74 for Janie Grant in 1962 *"I'm a Walkin' Advertisement (For the Blues)" - No. 32 Country hit for Norma Jean in 1964 *"The Great El Tigre (The Tiger)" (Coben) - No. 32 Country hit for Stu Phillips in 1966 *"The Game of Triangles" (Coben) - No. 5 Country hit for Norma Jean, Liz Anderson, and Bobby Bare in 1966 *" Burning a Hole in My Mind" (Coben) - No. 5 C/W hit for Connie Smith, 1967 *"Chet's Tune" (Coben) - No. 38 country hit by "Some of Chet's Friends" (a tribute to

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), also known as "Mister Guitar" and "the Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson (musician), Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nash ...

, who was a friend of Coben) *"Nobody's Child" (Coben/Mel Foree)- charted for Hank Williams Jr. (No. 46 Country, 1967), Karen Young ( UK No. 6, 1969) *" The Name of the Game Was Love" (Coben) - No. 16 Country for Hank Snow in 1969 *"Johnny's Cash and Charley's Pride" (Coben) - No. 38 C/W for Mac Wiseman in 1969 *"A Good Woman's Love" (Coben) - charted for Jerry Reed (No. 12 Country, 1974) *"Goethe War Gut" (Cy Coben, Charles Grean, Thomas Woitkewitsch) - charted in Germany for

in 1978

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coben, Cy American country songwriters Jewish American songwriters American male songwriters Jewish songwriters Musicians from Jersey City, New Jersey 1919 births 2006 deaths Songwriters from New Jersey People from Atherton, California 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American songwriters