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Richard A. Whiting | |
|---|---|
 Whiting c. mid-1930s | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Armstrong Whiting |
| Born | (1891-11-12)November 12, 1891 Peoria, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 19, 1938(1938-02-19) (aged 46) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1910–1938 |
Richard Armstrong Whiting (November 12, 1891 – February 19, 1938)[1] was an American composer ofpopular songs, including the standards "Hooray for Hollywood", "Ain't We Got Fun?" and "On the Good Ship Lollipop". He also wrote lyrics occasionally, and film scores most notably for the standard "She's Funny That Way".
He was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Original Song in 1936 for "When Did You Leave Heaven" from the filmSing, Baby Sing.
Whiting was born inPeoria, Illinois, United States,[2] into a musical family. His father, Frank Whiting, was a real estate agent and gifted violinist; his mother Blossom was a piano teacher. Together they instilled a love of music in their son and worked towards nurturing his natural gift of piano playing. He attended theHarvard Military School inLos Angeles. Upon his graduation, Whiting started a vaudeville act with his college friendMarshall Neilan. The pair briefly toured the United States writing songs, singing, and playing the piano; although neither one had the stage presence or singing talent to become full-time performers. They broke up the duo and went their separate ways: Neilan toHollywood, where he would go on to be a successful film director and actor, and Whiting toDetroit to try to jump-start a career as a professional songwriter. In 1913, Whiting began his career as asong plugger forJerome H. Remick publishing company. Within a year he was the manager of the Detroit office, being paid US$25 per week. As an occasional talent scout, Whiting nurtured the careers of several songwriters from the day, most notablyGeorge Gershwin; Whiting heard Gershwin playing one day and gave him a job as a song plugger for Remick company. This act of kindness resulted in a lifelong friendship between the two powerhouse composers. To supplement his income at the time, Whiting worked with a local hotel's Hawaiian band, playing piano in light blackface, earning him an extra $10 a week.
In 1914, Whiting had his first two hit songs: "I Wonder Where My Lovin' Man Has Gone" and "It's Tulip Time in Holland."[2] The latter song became a massive hit, selling over a million copies. Whiting received none of the royalties, however, having sold off the publishing rights to Remick in exchange for aSteinway grand piano.[2] During his time at Remick Whiting had a substantial output, mostly with former bank-clerkRay Egan, including 1918's, "Till We Meet Again".[2] The song quickly became the largest sheet music seller of all time, even today: at last count the song was said to have sold over 11 million copies.[citation needed] Other hit songs written by Whiting during his time at Remick include "Where the Black-Eyed Susans Grow" (1917), "The Japanese Sandman" (1920), "Bimini Bay" (1921, lyrics by Egan andGus Kahn), "Ain't We Got Fun?" (1921, lyrics by Egan and Kahn) and "Ukulele Lady" (1925, lyrics by Kahn).[2]
In 1929, Whiting moved to Hollywood, where there were more opportunities for songwriters during the Depression. In Hollywood he wrote a number of film scores and classic songs. WithJohnny Mercer he wrote the theme song of Tinseltown, "Hooray for Hollywood", shortly before his death.[2] During his career, Whiting collaborated with such songwriters asBG DeSylva,Johnny Mercer,Neil Moret,Leo Robin,Ralph Rainger,Gus Kahn,Oscar Hammerstein II,Haven Gillespie,Seymour Simons,Nacio Herb Brown,Harry Akst,Walter Donaldson,Ray Egan, andSidney Clare, to produce a number of hits (listed below).[2] He also wrote a number of scores for Broadway plays.[2]
In the film,Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round (1932), a song performed by The Boswell Sisters, titled "Rock and Roll", written by Richard A. Whiting and Sidney Clare, is sometimes credited as the first use of that term.
Whiting died from a heart attack in 1938 at the age of 46, at the height of his career.[2] He was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 1970. A tribute to Whiting's music, along with a medley of his best-known songs, formed part of the 1980 Broadway musicalA Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine. His Steinway grand piano was donated to theGreat American Songbook Foundation by his granddaughter Debbi and can be seen on display.
Whiting was married to the former Eleanor Youngblood, a manager whose clients includedSophie Tucker. He was the father of singer/actressMargaret Whiting and actressBarbara Whiting, and the grandson of Rep.Richard H. Whiting.
Original Music by Richard A. Whiting, lyrics byOscar Hammerstein II
Act 1 consists of
Act 2 consists of
Richard Whiting was also referenced in the 1980 Broadway show a Day in Hollywood/ a Night in the Ukraine where a medley of his songs are performed in the first act. One of the actors comically portrays him during the songIt All Comes Out of the Piano.[citation needed]
Frank Sinatra recorded Whiting's "Too Marvelous for Words" on his albumSongs for Swingin' Lovers!. Sinatra also recorded Whiting's "She's Funny That Way" on his albumNice 'n' Easy, and other songs such as "My Ideal".
Tony Bennett recorded many of Whiting's songs, such as "My Ideal" on his albumHere's to the Ladies, "True Blue Lou" and "She's Funny That Way."
Margaret Whiting (his daughter) recorded and made famous several Whiting hits including "Guilty", "Too Marvelous for Words" and "Ain't We Got Fun?"
Other notable artists to record Whiting songs:
In 2006, the filmA Good Year starringRussell Crowe andMarion Cotillard featured the song "Breezin' Along with the Breeze" with music by Whiting and lyrics byHaven Gillespie andSeymour Simons
In 2009,Renee Olstead used the song "Ain't We Got Fun" written by Whiting,Raymond B. Egan andGus Kahn for her albumSkylark
In 2010,Boardwalk Empire used the music from Whiting's "The Japanese Sandman" in the first five episodes of the show. A version with lyrics byRaymond B. Egan appeared in the show on October 24, 2010.
In 2010,Enrique Iglesias used a segment of "On the Good Ship Lollipop" written by Whiting andSidney Clare forBright Eyes in his YouTube video for the song "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)"
In 2011,Diet Coke used Whiting's music to the song "Hooray for Hollywood" in theirOscar commercial which played nationwide in movie theaters.
