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 51-75 of 245 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | LBS-75320 | 10-in. (33-1/3 rpm) | 2/26/1933 | Dance medley | Don Bestor Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | BS-75536 | 10-in. | 3/17/1933 | Meet me in the gloaming | Frances Langford | Female vocal solo, with instrumental quintet | composer | |
Victor | BS-75538 | 10-in. | 3/17/1933 | Two buck Tim from Timbuctoo | Gus Van | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | composer | |
Victor | BS-75746 | 10-in. | 4/7/1933 | Two buck Tim from Timbuctoo | The High Hatters [Tom Berwick Orchestra] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | BS-75747 | 10-in. | 4/7/1933 | Two buck Tim from Timbuctoo | Sid Peltyn Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | BS-76847 | 10-in. | 8/4/1933 | Heartaches | Elmo Tanner ; Ted Weems Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with whistling | composer | |
Victor | BS-77336 | 10-in. | 12/12/1933 | Jimmy had a nickel | Wendell Hall Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-78255 | 10-in. | 10/20/1933 | Hush my mouth (If I ain't goin' South) | Jerry Freeman Orchestra ; Frank Sylvano | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-80270 | 10-in. | 2/15/1934 | Winter interlude | Edgewater Beach Hotel Orchestra ; Bob Hanon ; Harry Sosnik | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-80502 | 10-in. | 5/8/1934 | Why don't you practice what you preach | Lee Bennett ; Jan Garber Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-80631 | 10-in. | 6/18/1934 | The prize waltz | King Harvey ; Red Nichols ; Pennies | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-81024 | 10-in. | 1/3/1934 | You're in my power (Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!) | The Radio Rascals' Orchestra [Dick Robertson Orchestra] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-81104 | 10-in. | 12/26/1933 | Masquerading in the name of love | Don Bestor Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-81269 | 10-in. | 1/26/1934 | Who walks in when I walk out? | Ramona | Female vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
Victor | BS-81319 | 10-in. | 1/26/1934 | I wish we could dance forever | Peerless Trio [Norman Price Trio] | Male vocal trio, with guitar | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-81345 | 10-in. | 2/1/1934 | Jimmy had a nickel | Don Bestor Orchestra ; Charles Yontz | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-81731 | 10-in. | 2/21/1934 | Jimmy had a nickel | The Three Scamps | Vocal and instrumental trio | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-81974 | 10-in. | 3/22/1934 | Moon time | Neil Buckley ; Don Bestor Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-82375 | 10-in. | 5/4/1934 | Little man you've had a busy day | Pickens Sisters | Female vocal trio, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-82380 | 10-in. | 5/4/1934 | Little man, you've had a busy day | Eliot Everett Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-82512 | 10-in. | 5/10/1934 | Little man, you've had a busy day | Isham Jones Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-83636 | 10-in. | 7/26/1934 | The prize waltz | Neil Buckley ; Don Bestor Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BVE-83816 | 10-in. | 8/3/1934 | I saw stars | Dan Hornsby ; Perry Bechtel Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-84014 | 10-in. | 8/18/1934 | I saw stars | Peggy Healy ; Paul Whiteman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-92530 | 10-in. | 6/27/1935 | Black coffee | Four Towers Orchestra ; Billie Hibberd ; Ray Nichols | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Hoffman, Al," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/109280.
Hoffman, Al. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/109280.
"Hoffman, Al." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 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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