johnny mercer

man was a hell of a songwriter and lyricist. his southern charm made him stand out amongst his hollywood and yankee peers. witty, relaxed, consistent, swingy—a mercer tune is always a good time. I especially enjoyed his work with the pied pipers and paul weston & orch, but he worked with a great many people. he's my third favorite bandleader, right behind the dorsey brothers.

his fixation is judy garland was pretty damn weird, for the record. had to mention that. also, he helped start capitol records. man was doing everything.

favorite tracks include "if I knew then", "I've been hit", "down among the sheltering palms", "personality" (with the pied pipers, paul weston & orch), "my baby likes to be-bop", "you can't make money dreamin'" (nat king cole trio).

the capitol vaults collection (2011)

accentuate the positive! (1957)

capitol collectors series (1989)