Al Hoffman
Al Hoffman (September 25, 1902 – July 21, 1960) was an American song composer. He was a hit songwriter active in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, usually co-writing with others and responsible for number-one hits through each decade, many of which are still sung and recorded today. He was posthumously made a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984. The popularity of Hoffman's song, "Mairzy Doats", co-written with Jerry Livingston and Milton Drake, was such that newspapers and magazines wrote about the craze. Time magazine titled one article "Our Mairzy Dotage". The New York Times simply wrote the headline, "That Song". Hoffman's songs were recorded by singers such as Frank Sinatra ("Close To You", "I'm Gonna Live Until I Die"), Billy Eckstine ("I Apologize") Perry Como ("Papa Loves Mambo", "Hot Diggity"), Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong ("Who Walks In When I Walk Out"), Nat "King" Cole, Tony Bennett, the Merry Macs, Sophie Tucker, Eartha Kitt, Patsy Cline, Patti Page ("Allegheny Moon") and Bette Midler. In October, 2007, Hoffman's "I'm Gonna Live Til I Die" was the lead single from Queen Latifah's album, Trav'lin' Light. Though Hoffman had apparently little connection to Chicago, he wrote the Chicago Bears fight song "Bear Down, Chicago Bears" in 1941 under the pseudonym Jerry Downs. |
Birth and Death Data: Born September 25, 1902 (Stoŭbcy District), Died July 21, 1960 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1920 - 1950
Roles Represented in DAHR: songwriter, composer, lyricist, adapter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 245 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BRC-72582 | 10-in. | 5/13/1932 | A picnic for two | Pennsylvanians ; Fred Waring | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal trio | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-73391 | 10-in. | 9/13/1932 | Beside the sunset trail | Isham Jones Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-73504 | 10-in. | 9/15/1932 | Someday we'll meet again | Isham Jones Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | LBS-73505 | 10-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 9/15/1932 | Someday we'll meet again | Isham Jones Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-73707 | 10-in. | 9/28/1932 | Someday we'll meet again | Bob Miller's Memphis Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-73720 | 10-in. | 9/30/1932 | Beside the sunset trail | Harold Mooney and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-73864 | 10-in. | 10/25/1932 | Fit as a fiddle | Pennsylvanians ; Fred Waring | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and male vocal trio | composer | |
Victor | LBS-73865 | 10-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 10/25/1932 | Fit as a fiddle | Pennsylvanians ; Fred Waring | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Victor | BS-73866 | 10-in. | 10/25/1932 | Sweet muchacha | Pennsylvanians ; Fred Waring | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal ensemble | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-73871 | 10-in. | 10/27/1932 | The cop on the beat, the man in the moon, and me | Frank Luther ; Victor Arden-Phil Ohman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | LBS-73942 | 10-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 11/10/1932 | Dance selections | Pennsylvanians ; Fred Waring | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solos and chorus | composer, songwriter | |
Victor | BS-73970 | 10-in. | 11/17/1932 | In the dim dim dawning | Paul Whiteman Orchestra ; Irene Taylor | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | LBS-73971 | 10-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 11/17/1932 | In the dim dim dawning | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Victor | BS-73972 | 10-in. | 11/17/1932 | In the dim dim dawning | Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Victor | BS-73986 | 10-in. | 11/22/1932 | In the dim dim dawning | Baby Rose Marie | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | composer | |
Victor | BS-73989 | 10-in. | 11/23/1932 | Someday we'll meet again | Tom Berwick Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | LBS-74612 | 10-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 11/24/1932 | Willow Weep for me | Jack Fulton ; Paul Whiteman Orchestra ; Irene Taylor | Jazz/dance band, with male and female vocal solos | composer | |
Victor | BS-74696 | 10-in. | 12/16/1932 | It's winter again | Isham Jones Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | LBS-74697 | 10-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 12/16/1932 | It's winter again | Isham Jones Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Victor | BS-74698 | 10-in. | 12/16/1932 | It's winter again | Isham Jones Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Victor | BS-74937 | 10-in. | 1/20/1933 | Suzanne | Tom Berwick Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | BS-75257 | 10-in. | 2/17/1933 | Black eyed Susan Brown | Glen Gray Orchestra ; Walter Hunt | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | LBS-75259 | 10-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 2/17/1933 | Black eyed Susan Brown | Glen Gray Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Victor | LBS-75261 | 10-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 2/17/1933 | Dardanella | Glen Gray Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Victor | BS-75317 | 10-in. | 2/26/1933 | Meet me in the gloaming | Don Bestor Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Hoffman, Al," accessed October 13, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/109280.
Hoffman, Al. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/109280.
"Hoffman, Al." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 13 October 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Hoffman, Al, 1902-1960 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no92010056
Wikidata: Al Hoffman - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2829347
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/22338836
MusicBrainz: Al Hoffman - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/17051835-d7f4-45ee-b985-a9a640b570fd
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