George David Weiss (April 9, 1921 – August 23, 2010)^[1] was an Americansongwriter andarranger, who was a president of theSongwriters Guild of America.^[1]

George David Weiss
Weiss in 1947
Background information
Also known as	B. Y. Forster
Born	(1921-04-09)April 9, 1921 New York City, U.S.
Origin	New York City, U.S.
Died	August 23, 2010(2010-08-23) (aged 89) Oldwick, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres	Pop music, Jazz
Occupation(s)	Songwriter,arranger

He is an inductee in theSongwriters Hall of Fame.

Weiss was born in a Jewish family and originally planned a career as a lawyer or accountant; however, out of a love for music, he was led to attend theJuilliard School of Music,^[1] developing his skills in writing andarranging. After leaving school, he became an arranger for suchbig bands as those ofStan Kenton,Vincent Lopez, andJohnny Richards.^[1]

He was a prolific songwriter during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, with many of his songs attaining high rankings on thecharts.^[1] Although he worked with many collaborators, the largest proportion of his well-known songs were written withBennie Benjamin.^[1]

Weiss contributed to a number offilm scores:Murder, Inc. (1960),Gidget Goes to Rome (1963),Mediterranean Holiday (1964), andMademoiselle (1966).

Collaborations on threeBroadwaymusicals were among his compositions.Mr. Wonderful was written in 1956 withJerry Bock andLarry Holofcener. The Broadway production starredSammy Davis Jr.First Impressions was based onJane Austen'sPride and Prejudice. It was written in 1959, withBo Goldman and Glenn Paxton.Maggie Flynn was written in 1968, withHugo Peretti andLuigi Creatore. It was set in New York during theAmerican Civil War, and the Broadway production starredShirley Jones andJack Cassidy. In addition, Weiss and Will Severin composed the family musical,A Tale of Cinderella, which was first presented in December 1994 at the Theater Institute inTroy, New York, and filmed for presentation onPBS.

Weiss wrote the lyrics for the jazz standard "Lullaby of Birdland", which became a hit forElla Fitzgerald. In 1984, Weiss was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame.

In 2006, a court settlement was reached regardingroyalties for the worldwiderights of the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," which was based on a 1939 song, "Mbube", by the South African musicianSolomon Linda. The settlement, which operates worldwide and in settlement of all claims, encompasses the following:

1. Linda's heirs will receive payment for past uses of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and an entitlement to future royalties.
2. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is acknowledged as derived from "Mbube".
3. Solomon Linda is acknowledged as a co-composer of the song and will be designated as such.
4. A trust will be formed to administer the heirs' copyright and to receive on their behalf the payments due.

Weiss died at age 89 on August 23, 2010, of natural causes at his home inOldwick, New Jersey.^[2]

• "Lullaby of Birdland" (1952) — under the pseudonym "B. Y. Forster", with music byGeorge Shearing
• "Mr. Wonderful" (1955) — co-written byJerry Bock andLawrence Holofcener
• "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (1961) — tune written bySolomon Linda in 1939; lyrics rewritten in 1961 by Weiss,Luigi Creatore, andHugo Peretti, recorded byThe Tokens
• "Can't Help Falling in Love" (1961) — co-written byLuigi Creatore andHugo Peretti, recorded byElvis Presley
• "That Sunday, That Summer" (1963) — co-written by Joe Sherman
• "Stay With Me" (1966) — co-written byJerry Ragovoy, recorded byLorraine Ellison
• "What a Wonderful World" (1968) — co-written byBob Thiele, recorded byLouis Armstrong
• "Let's Put It All Together" (1974) — co-written byLuigi Creatore andHugo Peretti, recorded byThe Stylistics

• Biography at Allmusic.com
• George David Weiss discography atDiscogs
• George David Weiss atIMDb
• George David Weiss at theInternet Broadway Database
• George David Weiss Interview atNAMM Oral History Collection (1995)