Sid Wayne (January 26, 1923 – December 26, 1991) was an American

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

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 ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, who wrote a number of well-known songs from the 1950s to the 1980s. Almost every

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

contained one or more works written by Wayne and his partner Ben Weisman.

Biography

Career

His most known works are " See You In September" (co-written with Sherman Edwards), "It's Impossible" — featuring the English lyric of

Armando Manzanero Armando Manzanero Canché (7 December 1935 – 28 December 2020) was a Mexican Maya peoples, Mayan musician, singer, composer, actor and music producer, widely considered the premier Mexican romantic composer of the postwar era and one of the ...

's "

Somos Novios "Somos Novios" (Spanish for "We Are Lovers") is a song first recorded by Mexican songwriter Armando Manzanero in 1968. Originally a French song " J'ai le mal de toi", different versions with unrelated lyrics in different languages have been writte ...

" — "

Mangos A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South ...

" (with Dee Libbey), " Two Different Worlds" and "Relax Max" (with Al Frisch) and " I Need Your Love Tonight" (with Bix Reichner). Plus five songs co-written with Ben Weisman and Fred Karger for the soundtrack to the 1966 movie '' Hold On!'' featuring

Herman's Hermits Herman's Hermits are an English beat, rock and pop group formed in 1964 in Manchester, originally called Herman and His Hermits and featuring lead singer Peter Noone. Produced by Mickie Most, the Hermits charted with number ones in the UK a ...

and

Shelley Fabares Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares (; born January 19, 1944) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her television roles as Mary Stone on the sitcom ''The Donna Reed Show'' (1958–1963) and as Christine Armstrong on the sitcom ...

. '' Hold On!'' includes "The George and Dragon", "Got a Feeling", "Wild Love", "Gotta Get Away" and "Make Me Happy", the latter of which was sung by Fabares. From 1960 to 1962, Wayne was the musical director of the CBS game show ''

Video Village ''Video Village'' is an American television game show produced by Heatter-Quigley Productions, which aired on the CBS network in daytime from July 11, 1960, to June 15, 1962, and in primetime from July 1 to September 16, 1960. It was notable for ...

'', which debuted shortly after the scandal-tainted rigged quizzes of the 1950s left the air.

Personal life

Born Sidney Weinberg in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

on January 26, 1923,1966 ASCAP Biographical Dictionary Wayne, a self-taught musician had many successes in New York. In 1961, when TV game show ''

'' moved from New York to Los Angeles, he moved his young family to

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...

to start the west coast phase of his career. There he teamed up with Weisman for work on the Elvis Presley films. As Elvis' film career tapered off, Wayne returned to his New York roots to have his biggest

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nominated hit with the

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

recording of "It's Impossible". This song, a love ballad for his wife Rhea, was commissioned as the English lyric to Manzanero's "Somos Novios". The English version, "It's Impossible", was originally performed by Perry Como and nominated for a Grammy Award in 1972. In 1980 Wayne relocated to

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, where he continued to write for commercial television and advertising with another songwriting partner, Stephen Arnold and Roger Howell (singer/songwriter).

Filmography

*''

G.I. Blues ''G.I. Blues'' is a 1960 American musical comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley and Juliet Prowse. The movie was filmed at Paramount Pictures studio, with some pre-production scenery shot on location in Germany before Pr ...

'' (1960) **Song: "Tonight Is So Right For Love" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Abner Silver) **Song: "What's She Really Like" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Abner Silver) **Song: "Frankfort Special" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Sherman Edwards) **Song: "Big Boots" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Sherman Edwards) **Song: "Didja' Ever" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Sherman Edwards) *''

Flaming Star ''Flaming Star'' is a 1960 American Western film starring Elvis Presley, Barbara Eden and Steve Forrest, based on the book ''Flaming Lance'' (1958) by Clair Huffaker. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his best acting performances as t ...

'' (1960) **Song: "Flaming Star" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Sherman Edwards) *''

Follow That Dream ''Follow That Dream'' is a 1962 American musical film made by Mirisch Productions and starring Elvis Presley. The film was based on the 1959 novel ''Pioneer, Go Home!'' by Richard P. Powell. Producer Walter Mirisch liked the film's song "Follow T ...

'' (1962) **Song: "What A Wonderful Life" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Jerry Livingston) *''

It Happened at the World's Fair ''It Happened at the World's Fair'' is a 1963 American musical film starring Elvis Presley as a crop-dusting pilot. It was filmed in Seattle, Washington, site of the Century 21 Exposition. The governor of Washington at the time, Albert Rosellin ...

'' (1963) **Song: "Happy Ending" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) *''

Fun in Acapulco ''Fun in Acapulco'' is a 1963 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley and Ursula Andress. The film featured the Top 10 ''Billboard'' hit "Bossa Nova Baby" and reached No. 1 on the national weekly box office charts a week after the ass ...

'' (1963) **Song: "Fun in Acapulco" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) **Song: "Slowly But Surely" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) *''

Roustabout Roustabout (Australia/New Zealand English: rouseabout) is an occupational term. Traditionally, it referred to a worker with broad-based, non-specific skills. In particular, it was used to describe show or circus workers who handled materials ...

'' (1964) **Song: "It's Carnival Time" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) *''

Girl Happy ''Girl Happy'' is a 1965 American musical romantic comedy and beach party film starring Elvis Presley in his eighteenth feature. The movie won a fourth place prize Laurel Award in the category Top Musical of 1965. It featured the song " Puppe ...

'' (1965) **Song: "Cross My Heart and Hope To Die" - (Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) **Song: "Do The Clam" - (Written by: Sid Wayne, Ben Weisman, Dolores Fuller) *''

Tickle Me ''Tickle Me'' is a 1965 American musical comedy western film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley as a champion rodeo bull rider and bronco buster. Presley won a 1966 Golden Laurel Award as best male actor in a musical film fo ...

'' (1965) **Song: "Slowly But Surely" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) *'' Frankie and Johnny'' (1966) **Song: "Frankie and Johnny" - (Written by: Jimmie Rodgers, Sid Wayne, Ben Weisman, Fred Karger) **Song: "Chesay" - (Written by: Sid Wayne, Ben Weisman, Fred Karger) **Song: "Hard Luck" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) *'' From Hell to Borneo'' (1966) **Song: "Sugar Cane Man" - (Written by: Sid Wayne and Sharon Silbert) **Song: "Web Foot Waddle" - (Written by: Sid Wayne and Sharon Silbert) **Song: "Lonelier Than I" - (Written by: Sid Wayne and Sharon Silbert) *''

Paradise, Hawaiian Style ''Paradise, Hawaiian Style'' is a 1966 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley. It was the third and final motion picture that Presley filmed in Hawaii. The film reached #40 on the ''Variety'' weekly box office chart, earning $2.5 mill ...

'' (1966) **Song: "Dog's Life" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) *'' Spinout'' (1966) **Song: "Spinout" - (Written by: Sid Wayne, Ben Weisman, Dolores Fuller) **Song: "I'll Be Back" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) *'' Easy Come, Easy Go'' (1967) **Song: "Easy Come Easy Go" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) *'' Double Trouble'' (1967) **Song: "It Won't Be Long" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) *''

Clambake The clambake or clam bake, also known as the New England clambake, is a traditional method of cooking seafood, such as lobster, mussels, crabs, scallops, soft-shell clams, and quahogs. The food is traditionally cooked by steaming the ingredients ...

'' (1967) **Song: "Clambake" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) **Song: "How Can You Lose What You Never Had" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) *'' Stay Away, Joe'' (1968) **Song: "Stay Away, Joe" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) *''

Speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...

'' (1968) **Song: "Who Are You (Who Am I)" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman) **Song: "He's Your Uncle Not Your Dad" - (Written by: Sid Wayne & Ben Weisman)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wayne, Sid 1923 births 1991 deaths Songwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American musicians