June 25, 1976 is a day to remember for many Georgians - especially Savannahians - and fans of the Great American Songbook. It marks the passing of Johnny Mercer, the state's favorite son and sentimental gentleman, and one of the nation's most important figures in entertainment in the last century. Mercer's impact was universal. He composed melodies, wrote lyrics, sang a wide range of songs, performed in films, kept the nation laughing with his comedy, and co-founded Capitol Records and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
We have come a long way from the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950's and its dominance in the family tree of popular music. Still, the Great American Songbook, that generation of music beginning around 1930 and continuing into the early 1960's, has found a comfortable niche among music lovers around the world. Many songs in that now-tattered "book" belong to Mercer and stand in tribute to a man described as America's folk-poet and the finest lyricist in our history.
Want to learn more about Mercer? The best and most comprehensive site is The Johnny Mercer Educational Archives.
Here's a sample of the Mercer magic recorded a few years before his death:
And here's how a later generation approaches the old music master:
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