Richard A. Whiting

Richard A. Whiting (November 12, 1891-February 10, 1938) was a composer of popular songs.

He was born in Peoria, Illinois, and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He attended the Harvard Military School in Los Angeles, California. Upon his graduation, Whiting began his career as a staff writer for various music publishers. In 1912, he became a personal manager.

In 1919, he moved to Hollywood and wrote a number of film scores. He collaborated with BG DeSylva, Ray Egan, Johnny Mercer, Neil Moret, Leo Robin, Gus Kahn, and Sidney Clare, to produce a number of hits (listed below).He also wrote a number of scores for Broadway plays.

He was the father of singer/actress Margaret Whiting and actress Barbara Whiting Smith.

He died from a heart attack in Beverly Hills, California, aged 46. He died at the height of his powers and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.

Film scores

*"Innocents of Paris"
*"Dance of Life"
*"Monte Carlo"
*"Safety in Numbers"
*"The Playboy of Paris"
*"Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round"
*"One Hour With You"
*"Adorable"
*"Big Broadcast of 1936"
*"Varsity Show"
*"Ready, Willing and Able"
*"Hollywood Hotel"
*"Cowboy from Brooklyn"

Broadway show scores

*"Toot Sweet"
*"George White’s Scandals of 1919"
*"Take a Chance"

Hit songs

*"(They Made it Twice as Nice as Paradise) and They Called it Dixieland"
*"Till We Meet Again"
*"Some Sunday Morning"
*"It's Tulip Time in Holland"
*"Where the Morning Glories Grow"
*"Where the Black-Eyed Susans Grow"
*"The Japanese Sandman"
*"Sleepy Time Gal"
*"Ain't We Got Fun?"
*"Hooray for Hollywood"
*"Honey"
*"Breezin' Along With the Breeze"
*"Horses"
*"It's a Habit of Mine"
*"Beyond the Blue Horizon"
*"Eadie Was a Lady"
*"On the Good Ship Lollipop"
*"Sentimental and Melancholy"
*"Too Marvelous for Words"
*"Love Is on the Air Tonight"
*"Silhouetted in the Moonlight"
*"You've Got Something There"
*"Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride"
*"She's Funny That Way" (words only; music by Neil Moret)

External references

*Shof|id=314|name=Richard A. Whiting
* [http://nfo.net/cal/tw7.html Big Bands Database page on Whiting]