Seymour Simons (January 14, 1896 – February 12, 1949) was an American pianist, composer, orchestra leader, and radio producer.

Biography

Simons born in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, was originally trained in engineering and went to work as a research engineer at a Detroit motor plant, but the First World War intervened and he spent it in aeronautical research Simons returned to Detroit after service in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and built a reputation as a pianist and songwriter, providing material for stage stars

Nora Bayes Nora Bayes (born Rachel Eleonora "Dora" Goldberg; October 3, 1880March 19, 1928) was an American singer and vaudeville performer who was popular internationally between the 1900s and 1920s. She is credited with co-writing the song "Shine On, Har ...

and Elsie Janis. In 1919, he wrote "Just Like a Gypsy" with Bayes, who, in addition to being a popular entertainer, was already a songwriter best known for " Shine on Harvest Moon", written with her performer/husband Jack Norworth in 1910. "Just Like a Gypsy" was recorded in 1941 by Maxine Sullivan and in 1946 by

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

. A collaboration in 1926 with

Richard A. Whiting Richard Armstrong Whiting (November 12, 1891 – February 19, 1938) was an American composer of popular songs, including the standards "Hooray for Hollywood", "Ain't We Got Fun?" and "On the Good Ship Lollipop". He also wrote lyrics occasiona ...

produced “Hello, Baby,” recorded by Ruth Etting, and the popular “Breezin’ Along With the Breeze”, in conjunction with Haven Gillespie, which was first recorded by Josephine Baker, used in the film '' Pete Kelly's Blues'' (1955), and sung by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in their 1954 film, '' The Long, Long Trailer''. The trio also collaborated on "(I'm In Love With You) Honey" which was performed in the 1945 film ''

Her Highness and the Bellboy ''Her Highness and the Bellboy'' is a 1945 American romantic comedy film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Hedy Lamarr, Robert Walker, and June Allyson. Written by Richard Connell and Gladys Lehman, the film is about a beautiful European p ...

''. With Gus Kahn, Simons wrote “Just Can’t Be Bothered with Me” (1929) and “Sweetheart of My Student Days” (1930). Simons worked in radio production and booking from 1928 to 1932 and led an orchestra on the radio in the early ‘30s. In 1931, he collaborated with Gerald Marks on his biggest hit, “ All of Me” which has maintained its popularity over the years, winning the “Towering Song” award given by the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000.

References

External links

Sheet Music for "Just Like a Gipsy"
Jerome H. Remick & Co., 1919.
Seymour Simons recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. 1896 births 1949 deaths Musicians from Detroit Jewish American songwriters American jazz composers American male jazz composers American jazz songwriters American male songwriters Songwriters from Michigan 20th-century American composers Jazz musicians from Michigan 20th-century American male musicians University of Michigan alumni 20th-century jazz composers 20th-century American Jews {{US-jazz-musician-stub