Alec Wilder
b. Feb. 16, 1907, Rochester, NY, USA,d. Dec. 23, 1980, Gainesville, FL, USA. (lung cancer)
né:Alexander LaFayette Chew Wilder
Overview:
Here's a photo of Alec (source: unknown) who, after attending the Collegiate School in New York City, studied privately at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. In 1930, his first song "All the King's Horses" was interpolated into a Schwartz and Dietz Broadway revue 'Three's A Crowd'. He went on to write more than 200 songs, including some that were in the jazz form; some that were illustrative in nature; some were Ballads, and there were many classical pieces. For near fifty years, Wilder lived in New York's famed Algonquin Hotel. He never earned much money because he insisted upon writing songs for his friends. He never married, but did have romances with several women including famed singer Peggy Lee. While he lived fairly well for most of his life (with homes in Key West, FL, and in New York City, he nevertheless died in poverty. Near the end, some friends, including Frank Sinatra, helped out with funds.

Among Wilder's compositions can be found sonatas, suites, concertos, operas, film scores, ballets, art songs, woodwind quintets, brass quintets and music for French horn. He was a ingenious and prolific composer whose works were often quite eclectic. Sadly, while the individuality, substance and pronounced American character of Wilder's concert music cannot be denied, it never gained widespread peformance or widespread popularity. It did not fit the preconceptions of the classical establishment of his time. Still, a few of Wilder's Popular songs did become 'standards', including "I'll Be Around," "Moon and Sand," "While We're Young" and "Lady Sings the Blues." Those and a few less famous Wilder songs are among jazz musicians' favorites. Wilder's book, 'American Popular Song', written with the help of James T. Maher, is an indispensible work of analysis that should be on every music lover's shelf. (Some additional information can be found in our Alec Wilder entry, on our American Big Bands Database.)

Among the songs he composed are:
"Stop That Dancing Up There"
"It's So Peaceful in the Country"
"J. P. Dooley III",recorded by the Harry James Orch.
"Who Can I Turn To?", a big hit for Sammy Davis, Jr.
"Soft as Spring"
"Moon and Sand"
"At the Swing Shift Ball"
"While We're Young", a 1950s hit Peggy Lee, and others
"I'll Be Around", a hit for Glenn Miller Orch. with Johnny Desmond & the Modernaires.
"The Long Night"
"One More Road"
"All the Cat's Join In", The Benny Goodman orch., played the song, in the 1946 Disney Cartoon Film 'Make Mine Music'.
"Kalamazoo to Timbuktu"
"Goodbye John"
"Crazy in the Heart"
"Winter of My Discontent"
"You're Free"
"Is It Always Like This?"
"Summer is A-Comin' In"
"April Age"

Among his serious compostions, we find:
Quintets and Trios for various instruments.
Four Operas
Concerto for Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra.
Various Piano works
Sonatas for Basson; for Tuba; and for Flute.
He composed the ballet 'Juke Box'.

He also composed some rather un-orthodox music, among which are:
"A Debutante's Diary"
"Amorous Poltergeist"
"Bull Fiddles In A China Shop"
"Concerning Etchings"
"Dance Man Buys A Farm"
"Her Old Man Was Suspicious"
"Neurotic Goldfish"
"Sea Fugue Mama"
"She'll Be Seven In May"
"The Children Met the Train"

Wilder wrote two books.
1975'Letters I Never Mailed' was a collection of imaginary letters to real people.
1975'American Popular Song: The Great Innovators 1900-1950', written with James T. Maher. This book is an American musical treasure. Later in his career, Wilder hosted a National Public Radio program based upon the entries in this book.

In 1980, Alec Wilder died: Lung Cancer.

   Gene Willadsen
Currently No Information on this lyricist.
"My Best To You", music by Isham Jones.

   Hank Williams
b. 1923, Georgiana, Alabama, USA,d. Jan. 1, 1953, Oak Hill, WV, USA.
né:Hiram King Williams
Overview
Hank Williams was a 'Country and Western' singer/composer. It is interesting to note that the prodigious amount of music, which spread so far, was all written by the time Hank was 29. He made his first record in 1946 for Sterling Records and switched to MGM Records the following year.

Hank's songs reflect a simple, unadorned quality and emotion that create immediate recognition in the listener.While some reviewers attributed this uncanny directness to Hank's boyhood on an Alabama farm, Hank contributed his own opinion: "You've had to survey a lot of farm land over the back-side of a mule to be a good country singer."

At just age fourteen, Hank stood up and sang on the courthouse steps in Montgomery, Alabama. Tall, lean and good looking, he quickly became the uncontested star of country music. He joined the 'Grand Ole Opry' in 1949, and for the next three years, he enjoyed unparalleled commercial success and triumph, but tragedy in the form of drugs; alcohol; and marital distressalso followed this country singer/songwriter.

Gradually, his songs were covered by pop-music artists and became even bigger hits. Shortly after his death, Rosemary Clooney popularized his song "Half as Much". With this broad acceptance, Hank Williams became America's first 'Country' singer to enter the mainstream of American Popular Music. Near the end of his life, Hnak himself started having popular hits with his own versions of his songs. The 1953 film 'Your Cheatin' Heart' was a screen biography of Williams's life.

By 1968, Country music was beginning to infiltrate Rock music. The synthesis was given the term "Country Rock".Dylan's "Nashville Skyline" appeared, while Byrd's "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" both showed that Hank Williams' influence was still strong. Echoes of Hank's work run through the songs of many singer-songwriters who started to gain prominence in the 1970s. This gradual erasure of the borders between Pop and Country music was a path blazed by Hank Williams.

Hank Williams' work has been often reissued, and he even recorded posthumously via "the magic of electronic recording", -his son, Hank, Jr., had two hit albums singing duets over tapes of his father. Hank Williams Jr. has also had a successfuly country career in his own right, openly drawing on the memory of his father. Hank, Jr. is still active in the 1980s as a country music singer.

One of the few songs that Hank sung that was not one of his own compositions was "Lovesick Blues". The song had been composed by Cliff Friend (with credit also given on the sheet music to the ubiquitous agent, Irving Mills).

Some of Hank Williams hit songs include:
1.Your Cheatin' Heart
2.Move It On Over
3.I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
4.Ramblin' Man
5.My Heart Would Know
6.Kaw-Liga
7.Cold, Cold Heart
8.Lovesick Blues
9.Honky Tonk Blues
10.Honky Tonkin'
11.There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight
12.Mind Your Own Business
13.Jambalaya (On the Bayou)
14.Wedding Bells
15.Hey, Good Lookin'
16.Window Shopping
17.Settin' the Woods On Fire
18.I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)
19. Half As Much
20. Why Don't You Love Me
21. You Win Again
22. May You Never Be Alone
23. Baby, We're Really In Love
24. Take These Chains From My Heart.

Just as Country music was reaching a post WW1 peak with songs crossing over into the Pop area, Hank Williams died of a Heart Attack on January 1, 1953. In 1961, Hank was elected a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and he has also been inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.