Gene Vincent de Paul (June 17, 1919 – February 27, 1988) was an American

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

and songwriter.

Biography

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, he served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He was married to Billye Louise Files (November 23, 1924 – January 30, 1977) of Jack County, Texas. He joined the

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

(ASCAP) in 1941, and went on to compose the music for many motion pictures. He was nominated (with Don Raye) for an Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song in 1942 for the song "Pig Foot Pete" from the movie '' Hellzapoppin''. The song actually was not included in that movie, but in the 1941 feature, '' Keep 'Em Flying'', and was thus ineligible for the nomination and award. The award was given to " White Christmas". De Paul collaborated with

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallic ...

Don Raye Don Raye (born Donald MacRae Wilhoite Jr., March 16, 1909 – January 29, 1985) was an American songwriter, best known for his songs for The Andrews Sisters such as "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", " The House of Blue Lights", "Just for a Th ...

Carolyn Leigh Carolyn Leigh (August 21, 1926 – November 19, 1983) was an American lyricist for Broadway, film, and popular songs. She is best known as the writer with partner Cy Coleman of the pop standards "Witchcraft" and " The Best Is Yet to Come". With ...

, Charles Rinker and others at

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, Walt Disney Studios and other

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

companies. De Paul composed the 1953 hit song " Teach Me Tonight". De Paul was one of the composers of the songs and dances, along with lyricist Johnny Mercer, for the 1954 musical film '' Seven Brides for Seven Brothers''. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985. Gene de Paul died in February 1988, at the age of 68, and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Un ...

Musical film credits

*'' Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' 1954 with lyrics by

*''Lil Abner'' partnered with Johnny Mercer

Broadway credits

Li'l Abner ''Li'l Abner'' is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written and drawn b ...

1956 with lyrics by Johnny Mercer

Notable songs

*1941 " I'll Remember April", w & m

, Patricia Johnston & Gene de Paul *1941 " You Don't Know What Love Is", w & m

& Gene de Paul *1941 "Gimme Some Skin, My Friend", (performed by The Andrews Sisters in the

Abbott and Costello Abbott may refer to: People * Abbott (surname) *Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist * Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act Places Argentina * Abbott, Buenos Aires United States * Abbott, Arkansas ...

film '' In the Navy'') w & m

& Gene de Paul *1942 " Cow Cow Boogie (Cuma-Ti-Yi-Yi-Ay)", music by

, lyrics by Benny Carter & Gene de Paul, featured in '' Ride 'Em Cowboy'' that year, and many films since, including '' The Aviator'', ''

Raging Bull ''Raging Bull'' is a 1980 American biographical sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, produced by Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler and adapted by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin from Jake LaMotta's 1970 memoir '' Raging Bull: M ...

'', and ''

The Joker Is Wild ''The Joker Is Wild'' is a 1957 American musical drama film directed by Charles Vidor, starring Frank Sinatra, Mitzi Gaynor, Jeanne Crain, and Eddie Albert, and released by Paramount Pictures. The film is about Joe E. Lewis, the popular si ...

''. *1943 " Star Eyes", w & m

& Gene de Paul from the film ''

I Dood It ''I Dood It'' (UK title ''By Hook or by Crook'') is a 1943 American musical-comedy film starring Red Skelton and Eleanor Powell, directed by Vincente Minnelli, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The screenplay is by Fred Saidy and Sig Herzig a ...

'' *1944 " Mr. Five by Five", w & m

& Gene de Paul *" He's My Guy" w & m Raye & de Paul, introduced in the 1943 film of the same name, and recorded by

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

, Peggy Lee and also Dinah Shore (included on the CD ''The War Years: Songs That Won The War'', released 2001). *1953 " Teach Me Tonight" with lyrics by Sammy Cahn

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Depaul, Gene 1919 births 1988 deaths Songwriters from New York (state) American film score composers American musical theatre composers American male film score composers United States Army personnel of World War II Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Broadway composers and lyricists 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American composers American male pianists 20th-century American male musicians Walt Disney Animation Studios people