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Abner Silver | |
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 Abner Silver c. 1935 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Abner Silberman (1899-12-28)December 28, 1899 |
| Origin | New York City, United States |
| Died | November 24, 1966(1966-11-24) (aged 66) |
| Occupation | Composer |
Abner Silberman (28 December 1899 inNew York City, New York, United States – 24 November 1966) aspen nameAbner Silver, was an Americansongwriter who worked primarily during theTin Pan Alley era of the craft.
Usually composing the music while others handled the lyrics, Silver wrote for half a century, starting withWorld War I–era songs such as 1918's "You Can't Blame the Girlies (They All Want to Marry a Soldier)," and continuing through the decades with such classics as 1921's "I'm Going South", 1935's "Chasing Shadows" and 1940's "How Did He Look?" Silver frequently teamed with lyricistsBenny Davis,Al Sherman andAl Lewis. Between 1931 and 1934, during the last days ofVaudeville, Silver and several of his fellow hitmakers formed a sensational revue called "Songwriters on Parade", performing all across theEastern seaboard on theLoew's and Keith circuits.[1][2][3][4][5]
Silver's songs were covered by virtually every major vocalist of the day, among themAl Jolson,Ruth Etting,Jack Leonard,Mildred Bailey,Eddie Cantor,Rudy Vallee,Helen Kane,Kate Smith,Billie Holiday,Frank Sinatra,Tony Bennett,Mel Tormé,Eddie Fisher,Peggy Lee andJulie London. In a later era his songs were sung byElvis Presley,Frankie Lymon,Etta Jones,Johnny Mathis,Brenda Lee andDame Shirley Bassey. Numerous performers covered what became a country standard, "My Window Is Facing South," includingWillie Nelson,Vassar Clements,Commander Cody andLyle Lovett. Among band leaders who performed tunes composed by Silver were:Shep Fields,[6]Django Reinhardt,Louis Prima,Lionel Hampton andLes McCann.[additional citation(s) needed]
In the late 1950s he penned several numbers forElvis Presley to perform in his movies, including the songs "Young and Beautiful,"[7] "What's She Really Like?" and "Lover Doll." Sung byTom Jones, Silver's "With These Hands" (with lyrics byBenny Davis) was featured in the movieEdward Scissorhands, starringJohnny Depp. His early song "He's So Unusual" was covered byCyndi Lauper on her breakout album, the similarly titledShe's So Unusual.
Silver died on November 24, 1966, in New York.[8]
| External audio | |
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 You may hear Abner Silver's song"An Old Curiosity Shop" played byShep Fields withHal Derwin andJohn Serry in 1938Here |
