Of all of the great American lyricists, Johnny Mercer is probably the most beloved. The words that he wrote to the songs of others are consistently poetic, witty, insightful and colorful. For 40 years he wrote some of the most memorable, catchy and timeless lyrics ever heard, and he contributed his words to more than 1,500 songs, many of which were debuted in movies and Broadway shows. In his career, Mercer received 19 Academy Award nominations, winning four times. Johnny Mercer was born in Savannah, Georgia in late-1909. Both of his parents sang at home and he was also exposed at an early age to the music of African-Americans. He never had a music lesson but sang in a choir by the time he was six and learned the words to a countless number of standards. Mercer was a jazz fan by the mid-1920s and wrote humorous article for his school’s papers. Although it was planned that he would attend Princeton, due to his father’s financial problems, that never happened. Instead Mercer moved to New York in 1928 where he had small parts in plays, worked at a brokerage house, and sang in clubs at night. He also began to write lyrics for songs. His words for “Out Of Breath (And Scared To Death Of You) appeared in a musical revue in 1930, were published, and recorded by violinist Joe Venuti. When he was 20, he spent a brief time in California writing for the musical Paris In The Spring. Back in New York, Mercer became a staff lyricist for Miller Music. In 1932 he joined the Paul Whiteman Orchestra as a singer and made his recording debut with Frank Trumbauer.