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He was a lyricist born Jacek
Jelen in Poland
and who emigrated to the United
States
with his family when he was five years old. He studied at the University of Michigan
and first went into journalism, becoming a reporter for the Buffalo Courier. After teaming up with the composer
Milton Ager they entered into music publishing with
the Ager-Yellen-Bernstein Music Company. He collaborated with the vaudeville
star Sophie Tucker to write her own material and throughout his career he
wrote over 200 successful songs recorded by numerous artists, including The
Beatles "Ain't She Sweet" and
the ever popular "Happy Days Are Here Again". He wrote for many successful musicals
including Rain or Shine, Follow A
Star, and Ziegfeld Follies of 1943 and his numerous film
scores included Bulldog Drummond,
Another Thin Man, Night and Day, The King of Jazz, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
and many more. In 1972 he was
inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 1996 the Buffalo Music
Hall of Fame. He died at the age of 98 in Springville, New York.
The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra recordings
Bring Me Back
My Lovin' Honey Boy (George Linus Cobb/Jack Yellen)
Newport Classic NC 60069
Conductor - Rick Benjamin
Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Yellen
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0947386/
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