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 76-100 of 245 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-98800 10-in. 1/6/1936 Everything's in rhythm with my heart Connecticut Yankees ; Rudy Vallée Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-98801 10-in. 1/6/1936 Say the word and it's yours Connecticut Yankees ; Rudy Vallée Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-98802 10-in. 1/6/1936 I can wiggle my ears Connecticut Yankees ; Rudy Vallée Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-99818 10-in. 2/24/1936 There's always a happy ending Connecticut Yankees ; Rudy Vallée Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-99820 10-in. 2/24/1936 There isn't any limit to my love Connecticut Yankees ; Rudy Vallée Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-100557 10-in. 5/23/1936 Where there's you there's me Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra ; Ted Lewis Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-101532 10-in. 4/24/1936 There's always a happy ending George Hall ; Hotel Taft Orchestra ; Johnny McKeever Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-101588 10-in. 5/11/1936 There isn't any limit to my love Chicago Rhythm Kings Jazz/dance band, with vocal songwriter  
Victor BS-101589 10-in. 5/11/1936 She shall have music Chicago Rhythm Kings Jazz/dance ensemble, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-101591 10-in. 5/11/1936 Where there's you there's me Chicago Rhythm Kings Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Victor BS-03084 10-in. 11/24/1936 I'm in a dancing mood Jack Leonard ; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-03500 10-in. 12/1/1936 I'm in a dancing mood George Hall ; Hotel Taft Orchestra ; Johnny McKeever Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-023684 10-in. 7/11/1938 On the bumpy road to love Ozzie Nelson Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-023763 10-in. 7/1/1938 On the bumpy road to love Fats Waller and his Rhythm Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-027262 10-in. 10/6/1938 After looking at you Larry Clinton Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-028106 10-in. 10/17/1938 After looking at you Gray Gordon ; Cliff Grass ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-030159 10-in. 11/23/1938 You're gonna see a lot of me Butch Stone ; Van Alexander Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-030331 10-in. 11/30/1938 You're gonna see a lot of me Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye ; Charles Wilson Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-030715 10-in. 12/17/1938 I ups to her and she ups to me Eddie De Lange Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-031883 10-in. 2/2/1939 Romance runs in the family Richard Himber Rhythmic Pyramids Orchestra Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Victor BS-033610 10-in. 2/6/1939 Romance runs in the family Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-034608 10-in. 4/7/1939 Sticks and stones Les Brown Orchestra ; Herb Muse Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-036576 10-in. 5/1/1939 I paid for the lie I told you Three Reasons ; Dick Todd Male vocal solo, with female vocal trio and jazz/dance band songwriter  
Victor BS-038051 10-in. 8/24/1939 I must have one more kiss kiss kiss (Before we say goodnight) Hal Kemp Orchestra ; Smoothies Jazz/dance band, with mixed vocal ensemble songwriter  
Victor BS-038210 10-in. 6/28/1939 You meet the nicest people in your dreams Fats Waller and his Rhythm Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
(Results 76-100 of 245 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Hoffman, Al," accessed November 25, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/109280.

Hoffman, Al. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 25, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/109280.

"Hoffman, Al." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/109280

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