Sunny Skylar
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Sunny Skylar (October 11, 1913 – February 2, 2009) was an American music composer, singer, lyricist, and music publisher,[2] often recognized as one the most prominent songwriters of the Tin Pan Alley era. Sunny Skylar had written over 300 songs according to ASCAP,[3] and was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2010.[4]
His compositions have been performed and recorded by countless timeless acts such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, The Beatles, Tony Bennett, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and Benny Goodman. He may be best remembered for adapting English lyrics to popular songs like "Bésame Mucho" and "Amor", as well as his original compositions such as "Don't Wait Too Long", "Gotta Be This or That", "Waitin' For The Train to Come In", "You're Breaking My Heart", "Hair of Gold, Eyes of Blue", "A Little Bit South of North Carolina", and many more. Included in the Great American Songbook and The Real Book, many of Sunny Skylar's songs have remained jazz standards.[5]
Early life
Sunny Skylar was born Selig Sidney Shaftel in
Singing career
Sunny Skylar began his professional singing career at the age of 18, with the Harold Stern band at a resort known as "
In 1942, Skylar embarked on a singing career in entertainment that was not tied to just one orchestra or bandleader. Instead, he entertained as a vocalist, mostly performing his own popular tunes as a headliner at music venues in
Songwriting career
Though Skylar had many of his singing performances with big bands pressed onto records throughout his career, it was his songwriting that would become his legacy. Skylar began as a songwriter in New York City's Tin Pan Alley, which is said to be the birthplace of pop music in the United States. Like many up-and-coming songwriters of the time, he was writing and refining songs for other composers, oftentimes not receiving credit for his work until he could prove himself as a consistent hit songwriter.
One of his first notable hit songs, "Don't Cry", was performed by Skylar with Vincent Lopez & His Suave String Orchestra for Soundies on June 31, 1940, displayed on the Mills Panoram Jukebox. His next hit song also came about in 1940, when during a live performance, Sunny observed Vincent Lopez overworking his orchestra, and spontaneously created the humorous lyrics which became known as "Fifteen Minute Intermission". He graduated to even greater popularity with his song "Just A Little Bit South of North Carolina" in 1941. His next two hits, "Move It On Over" and "Paper Troopers", were written as wartime anthems for the United States Armed Forces during World War II, both released in 1943.
One of Sunny Skylar's most well-known song credits is "
Many hit songs followed such as "Gotta Be This or That", "You'll Always Be The One I Love", "And So To Sleep Again", "Atlanta, G.A.", "Waitin' For The Train To Come In", "Cry, Cry, Cry", "Hair of Gold, Eyes of Blue", "It Must Be Jelly ('Cause Jam Don't Shake like That)", "It's All Over Now", "Louisville, K.Y.", "Nola", "Put That Ring on My Finger", "Song of New Orleans", and "Whatta Ya Gonna Do". Skylar's song "You're Breaking My Heart", began as Ruggero Leoncavallo's 1904 Italian opera tune, "Mattinata", which Skylar wrote lyrics and a melody to, and singer Vic Damone made popular in 1949. Sunny Skylar has had hundreds of songs published through ASCAP and BMI, with the official ASCAP database showing over 300 song credits to his name.
Popular music shifted from the
Music publishing
With a talent for recognizing hit songs, Sunny Skylar, began working as a music publisher at
Death
Sunny Skylar died at the age of 95 on February 2, 2009.
Achievements
- Featured in Billboard 152 times from January 1942 until April 2010 with top charting songs, advertisements, musical achievements, quotes, career updates, as well as song, album, and live performance reviews.
- Featured in Time (1943) and The New York Times Magazine (1944)
Popular compositions
Among the songs he wrote (either music or lyrics) are:
- "Amor" (English lyrics)
- "And So to Sleep Again"
- "Ask Me"
- "Atlanta, G.A."
- "Be Mine Tonight (Noche De Ronda)" (English lyrics)
- "Bésame Mucho" (English lyrics)
- "Cry, Cry, Cry"
- "Don’t Cry"
- "Don't Wait Too Long"
- "Fifteen Minute Intermission"
- "Gotta Be This or That"
- "Hair of Gold, Eyes of Blue"
- "I Miss Your Kiss"
- "I'd Be Lost Without You"
- "If You Loved Me" (English version of Polnareff's "Soul Coaxing")
- "It Must Be Jelly ('Cause Jam Don't Shake like That)"
- "It's All Over Now"
- "Just a Little Bit South of North Carolina"
- "Long Time No See Baby"
- "Louisville, K.Y."
- "Love Is So Terrific"
- "Love Me with All Your Heart"
- "Move It On Over"
- "Nola"
- "Put That Ring on My Finger"
- "Song of New Orleans"
- "Soul Coixing"
- "Waitin' For The Train To Come In"
- "Watching The World Go By"
- "Whatta Ya Gonna Do"
- "Where There's Smoke, There's Fire"
- "You"
- "You're Breaking My Heart"
- "You'll Always Be The One I Love"[12]
Music in movies
- Valentine's Day (2010) featuring "Amor"
- The Quiet American (2002) featuring "Bésame Mucho"
- Lolita (1997) featuring "Amor"
- Bugsy (1991) featuring "Waitin' For The Train to Come In"
- The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991) featuring "Bésame Mucho"
- Avalon (1990) featuring "Bésame Mucho"
- Moon Over Parador (1988) featuring "Bésame Mucho"
- Frances (1982) featuring "Love Is So Terrific"
- Massacre Mafia Style (1974) featuring "Open Your Heart"
- Ardent Summer (1973) featuring "Bésame Mucho"
- The Seduction of Mimi (1972) featuring "La Cumparsita [English Lyrics]"
- Home Before Dark (1958) featuring "Gotta Be This or That"
- No Time For Sergeants (1958) featuring "Gotta Be This or That"
- The Proud and Profane (1956) featuring "Amor"
- Flyg-Bom (1952) featuring "Bundle of Love"
- Clash By Night (1952) featuring "Don't Cry"
- Havana Rose (1951) featuring "Be Mine Tonight (Noche De Ronda)"
- The Glass Menagerie (1950) featuring "Gotta Be This or That"
- Singing Guns (1950) featuring "Mexicali Trail"
- Maytime in Mayfair (1949) featuring "Amor"
- Riders of The Whistling Pines (1949) featuring "Hair of Gold, Eyes of Blue"
- Fighter Squadron (1948) featuring "Gotta Be This or That"
- Swingin' Spurs (1948) featuring "Hair of Gold, Eyes of Blue"
- The Voice of The Turtle (1947) featuring "Gotta Be This or That"
- Carnival in Costa Rica (1947) featuring "Costa Rica"
- That Way With Women (1947) featuring "Gotta Be This or That"
- The Man I Love (1947) featuring "Gotta Be This or That"
- Breakfast in Hollywood (1946) featuring "Amor"
- Lights of Old Santa Fe (1944) featuring "Amor"
- Swing In The Saddle (1944) featuring "Amor"
- Swing Fever (1943) featuring "Sh-! Don't Make a Sound"[13]
Music in television
- Lovecraft Country (2020) featuring "Bésame Mucho"
- Manhattan (2014) featuring "Bésame Mucho"
- The War (2007) featuring "Waitin' For The Train to Come In"
- Cold Case (2004–2005) featuring "Gotta Be This or That" and "Waitin' For The Train to Come In"
- The Beatles Anthology (1995–1996)
- Bandstand (1966) featuring "Love Me With All Your Heart"
- Shindig! (1965) featuring "Hidden Island"
- Hawaiian Eye (1962) featuring "I'd Be Lost Without You"
- Glenn Miller Time (1961) featuring " It Must Be Jelly ('Cause Jam Don't Shake Like That)"
- The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin (1956) featuring "Yo-O Rinty"
- The Milton Berle Show(1955) "You're Breaking My Heart"
- Looney Tunes (1946–1954) featuring "Gotta Be This or That", "All The Time", and "I'd Be Lost Without You"
- The Ed Sullivan Show (1949) featuring "Just a Little Bit South of North Carolina", "Amor", "Bésame Mucho", "Waitin' For The Train to Come In", "Love Is So Terrific", "Hair of Gold, Eyes of Blue", and "You're Breaking My Heart"
- Soundies (1940) featuring "Don't Cry"[13][2]
Music for radio
- Composed the music to "Hello, Again", the theme song that New York City radio presenter Herb Oscar Anderson sang everyday to start his show. Anderson composed the lyrics.
- Hosted a weekly Sunday radio show during the 1940s on New York's WKBB, singing popular song requests. A songbook of sheet music was published with all of Skylar's favorite songs from this time period, titled Sunny Skylar's Radio Song Favorites.[6][14]
References
- ^ "Songs written by Sunny Skylar | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ a b "Sunny Skylar Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ "Sunny Skylar". Ascap.com. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ "Sunny Skylar | Songwriters Hall of Fame". Songhall.org. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ "Sunny Skylar - MusicBrainz". Musicbrainz.org. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ a b "About Sunny Skylar". Shayskylar.com.
- Discogs.com.
- ^ "Sunny Skylar". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ "Sunny Skylar, 95; prolific songwriter; co-wrote "Besame Mucho", "Amor Amor", "Love Me With All Your Heart", many others". Groups.google.com. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "Peermusic – the global independent". Peermusic.com. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
- ^ "Peer-Southern Organization – 40th Anniversary Salute". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. June 1, 1968. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "Sunny Skylar Radio". Open.spotify.com. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
- ^ a b "Sunny Skylar". IMDb.com. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
- ^ "Sunny Skylar's Radio Song Favorites" (JPG). M.media-amazon.com. Retrieved April 17, 2024.