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 176-200 of 245 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | W151383 | 10-in. | 3/2/1931 | Ya got love! | Lanin’s Famous Players ; Paul Small | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | W151592 | 10-in. | 6/9/1931 | Makin' faces at the man in the moon | Smith Ballew Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Columbia | W151708 | 10-in. | 8/6/1931 | I apologize | Robert Hood Bowers Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | W152052 | 10-in. | 12/29/1931 | Oh! What a thrill (To hear it from you) | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Columbia | W152073 | 10-in. | 1/18/1932 | Oh! What a thrill (To hear it from you) | Jack Miller | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
Columbia | W152105 | 10-in. | 2/4/1932 | Auf Wiedersehen, my dear | Mickie Alpert and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | W152277 | 10-in. | 8/18/1932 | One note trumpet player | Joe Haymes Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and male vocal ensemble | songwriter | |
Columbia | W152318 | 10-in. | 11/9/1932 | Fit as a fiddle | Roger Wolfe Kahn Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal quartet | composer | |
Columbia | W152368 | 10-in. | 2/2/1933 | Black-eyed Susan Brown | Edgewater Beach Hotel Orchestra ; Mark Fisher | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Columbia | W152369 | 10-in. | 2/2/1933 | Lovey | Edgewater Beach Hotel Orchestra ; Mark Fisher | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Columbia | W152378 | 10-in. | 2/24/1933 | Meet me in the gloaming | Connecticut Yankees ; Rudy Vallée | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Columbia | W152572 | 10-in. | 12/1/1933 | Surprise | George Olsen and his Music | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | W152677 | 10-in. | 1/12/1934 | You're in my power (Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!) | George Olsen and his Music | Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet | songwriter | |
Columbia | W152761 | 10-in. | 6/4/1934 | Little man, you've had a busy day | Emil Coleman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Columbia | W152767 | 10-in. | 6/28/1934 | The prize waltz | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra ; Howard Phillips | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | C1001 | 10-in. | 6/14/1935 | Black eyed susan brown | Hoosier Hot Shots | Instrumental quartet, with ensemble vocal | composer | |
Columbia | W265002 | 10-in. | 12/8/1932 | Fit as a fiddle | Paul Small | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer | |
Columbia | W351044 | 10-in. | 6/18/1931 | Makin' faces at the man in the moon | Selvin’s Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Columbia | W351090 | 10-in. | 8/25/1931 | I apologize | Selvin’s Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | W351139 | 10-in. | 1/12/1932 | One little quarrel | Selvin’s Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | W351149 | 10-in. | 1/12/1932 | Auf wiedersehen, my dear | Selvin’s Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | W365025 | 10-in. | 7/7/1931 | Makin' faces at the man in the moon | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo | lyricist | |
Columbia | W365032 | 10-in. | 9/15/1931 | I apologize | Ruth Brown [Kate Smith] | Female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | W365072 | 10-in. | 3/4/1932 | Auf Wiedersehen, my dear | Jack Miller | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | W703014 | 10-in. | November 1929 | Una canción para tí (I sing all my love songs to you) : Canción | El Trovador Romántico | Male vocal solo | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Hoffman, Al," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/109280.
Hoffman, Al. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/109280.
"Hoffman, Al." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 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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