Karl A. Suessdorf (April 28, 1911 – February 25, 1982) was an American songwriter.

Biography

The son of Henry F. Suessdorf, he was born in

Valdez, Alaska Valdez ( ; Alutiiq: ) is a city in the Chugach Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to the 2020 US Census, the population of the city is 3,985, up from 3,976 in 2010. It is the third most populated city in Alaska's Unorganized Borou ...

, United States, where his father operated from 1907 to 1917 the Copper Block Buffet, a hotel and saloon that offered electric lights, hot baths and steam, and served men only. At the time of the 1920 U.S. Census (January 1920), Karl was living in Los Angeles with his grandmother. In 1938, he married Anna E. van Kleeff (stage name Kita van Cleve), who was then performing the part of Herodias in the

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non-verbal all-dance production of the play "Salome" written by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

. At the time of the 1940 U.S. Census (April 1940), the couple was renting a small house in Hollywood; his occupation was listed as a "salesman" working in a gasoline station. He and Kita were divorced about 1946. Suessdorf was best known for his collaboration with lyricist John Blackburn in composing the

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive lis ...

, " Moonlight in Vermont", which was first recorded in 1944 by

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's Orchestra featuring

Margaret Whiting Margaret Eleanor Whiting (July 22, 1924 – January 10, 2011) was an American popular music and country music singer who gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s.Mapes, Jillian.Margaret Whiting, Iconic Standards Singer, Dies at 86. ''Billboard' ...

. He also composed "I Wish I Knew" (1945) and "Susquehanna" (1957) with Blackburn and "Sea at Monterey" (1957) with Blackburn and Steve Graham (pseud. of Michael H. Goldsen). Suessdorf composed "Christmas Madonna" (1958) and "Coral Sea" (1965) with lyrics by Nick Cea; "Key Largo" (1948) (sung by

Marian McPartland Margaret Marian McPartland OBE ( Turner;Hasson, Claire"Marian McPartland: Jazz Pianist: An Overview of a Career" PhD Thesis. Retrieved 12 August 2008. 20 March 1918 – 20 August 2013), was an English–American jazz pianist, composer, and wri ...

) and "She Doesn't Laugh Like You" (1964) with

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and Leah Worth; and a 1949 hit for

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, "Did Anyone Ever Tell You, Mrs. Murphy?", with lyrics by Leah Worth and Lloyd Sloan. Apart from the many other performers who have recorded Suessdorf's compositions, including

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

and

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's compilation album ''Music of the Stars, Volume 2: Songs Recorded by Sarah Vaughan'' included both "Key Largo" and "Moonlight in Vermont". Suessdorf died at the age of 70 of a heart ailment in

Fallbrook, California Fallbrook is a CDP in northern San Diego County, California. Fallbrook had a population of 30,534 at the 2010 census, up from 29,100 at the 2000 census. Fallbrook's downtown is not on a major highway route. It is west of Interstate 15 or n ...

in 1982.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suessdorf, Karl A. 1911 births 1982 deaths Songwriters from Alaska 20th-century American musicians