Arthur Kent (July 2, 1920,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
– January 26, 2009,
Florence, South Carolina) was an American composer of popular songs, many of which he wrote in collaboration with lyricist
Sylvia Dee
Sylvia Dee (born Josephine Moore, October 22, 1914 – June 12, 1967) was an American lyricist and novelist best known for writing the lyrics to " Too Young", a hit for Nat King Cole, " The End of the World", a hit for Skeeter Davis and " Bring M ...
.
Selected songs
*"
So They Tell Me" with lyricists Harold Mott and
Jack Gale
Jack Gale (28 August 1899 – 5 April 1975) was an Australian rules footballer who played three games in the VFL for Richmond Football Club in 1924.
He returned to Tasmania and was Captain/Coach of the Wynyard Football Club from 1927 and 1 ...
, sung by
Frank Sinatra 1946
*"You Never Miss the Water (Till the Well Runs Dry)," lyricist
Paul Secon for the
Mills Brothers
The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies an ...
*"
Don't Go to Strangers
''Don't Go to Strangers'' is an album recorded in 1960 by jazz vocalist Etta Jones. It was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.
Overview
This was Etta Jones' first album for the independent jazz label Prestige when it was released in 19 ...
", with
Redd Evans
Redd is a Turkish rock band established in 1996 by tenor opera singer Doğan Duru and guitarist Berke Hatipoğlu under the name ''Ten''. They used to play at bars until they set up their own studio in 2004. Their first album, titled ''"50/50" ...
and
David Mann recorded in 1960 by
Etta Jones
Etta Jones (November 25, 1928 – October 16, 2001) was an American jazz singer. Her best-known recordings are "Don't Go to Strangers" and "Save Your Love for Me". She worked with Buddy Johnson, Oliver Nelson, Earl Hines, Barney Bigard, Ge ...
*"
Take Good Care of Her
"Take Good Care of Her" is a 1961 song written by Arthur Kent and Ed Warren and recorded by Adam Wade. It reached number twenty on the R&B charts and number seven on the Hot 100. In the song, the narrator speaks to the groom of his ex-girlfrie ...
", with lyricist Ed Warren, a Top Ten hit for
Adam Wade
*"
I'm Coming Back to You
''The Wonderful World of Julie London'' is an LP album by Julie London, released by Liberty Records under catalog number LRP-3324 as a monophonic recording and catalog number LST-7324 in stereo in November 1963. This was Julie London's final chart ...
", with Warren, sung by
Julie London
Julie London (née Peck; September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her sultry, languid contralto vocals, London recorded over thirty album ...
1963
*"
The End of the World", with lyricist
Sylvia Dee
Sylvia Dee (born Josephine Moore, October 22, 1914 – June 12, 1967) was an American lyricist and novelist best known for writing the lyrics to " Too Young", a hit for Nat King Cole, " The End of the World", a hit for Skeeter Davis and " Bring M ...
, sung by
Skeeter Davis
Skeeter Davis (born Mary Frances Penick; December 30, 1931September 19, 2004) was an American country music singer and songwriter who sang crossover pop music songs including 1962's " The End of the World". She started out as part of the Davis ...
1963
*"
Bring Me Sunshine
"Bring Me Sunshine" is a song written in 1966 by the composer Arthur Kent, with lyrics by Sylvia Dee.Derek B. Scott, ''Sounds of the metropolis: the nineteenth-century popular music revolution in London, New York, Paris, and Vienna'', Publisher: ...
", with Dee for
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...
, and in the UK the theme tune for comedians
Morecambe and Wise
Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew, 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman, 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, working ...
[Sounds of the Metropolis: The 19th Century Popular Music Revolution 0195309464
Derek B. Scott - 2008 - Consider, for example, how the legacy of the Viennese popular style contributes a special meaning to the song “Bring Me Sunshine” (words by Sylvia Dee, music by Arthur Kent, 1966), made famous by the comedians Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.]
* "I Taught Her Everything She Knows", with Dee, sung by
Billy Walker
*"Just Across the Mountain", 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. Wallich ...
for
Eddy Arnold
Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the '' Billboard'' c ...
1968
*"Little Acorns", with Mercer, sung by
Hank Locklin
Hank Locklin (born Lawrence Hankins Locklin; February 15, 1918 – March 8, 2009) was an American country music singer-songwriter. He had 70 chart singles, including two number one hits on ''Billboard''s country chart. His biggest hits included ...
1970
*"Wonder When My Baby's Comin' Home," with lyricist
Kermit Goell
Kermit Goell (1915 – December 4, 1997) was an American songwriter and archaeologist.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, Goell received his Bachelor of Science, BSC in agriculture from Cornell University and served in the Army Air Forces during World W ...
, sung by
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948) is an American country music singer and musician. She is also credited as an actress and author. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was considered among country's most successful music artist ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Arthur
1920 births
2009 deaths
Composers from New York City