Is Johnny Mercer the Greatest American Lyricist of All Time?

Johnny Mercer was born on November 18th, 1909, so yesterday marks the centennial of his birth. He died June 25th, 1976, therefore, he lived to the ripe age of 67. Johnny is easily one of the greatest songwriters of all time. But one must note that he was primarily known as a lyricist and worked with many of the greats, such as Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael and Henry Mancini. Turner Classic Movies is currently running a tribute special on Johnny Mercer which you might wish to see.

Johnny wrote countless songs of classic stature, but a few surprises have captured my attention right now. He did the lyrics to I`m An Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande, a catchy one that was a favorite of mine in my youthful ‘cowboy days’ (pure histrionics). Another one was I Remember You, which became a number one hit in the UK for Frank Ifield. Frank Ifield was an Australian singer who had collaborated with The Beatles before they made it big.

Another interesting tidbit is that Johnny Mercer was madly in love with Judy Garland, and wrote I Remember You for her. Fascinating for me also, was that Mercer did an apprenticeship with Yip Harburg on Oh Brother, Can You Spare Me A Dime? Yip was the lyricist for The Wizard of Oz songs (of course). The list goes on and on…Did you know that Johnny was a co-founder of Capitol Records? *(sources-Wiki & LA Times)

An interesting question for you: Johnny Mercer is often associated with the Old South. What is so ‘Old South’ about him and his lyrics?

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