Johnny Mercer, i.e. John Herndon Mercer, was born November 18, 1909 in Savannah, Georgia. He attended High School at Woodberry Forest School in Orange, VA (1927), then moved to New York City during the Great Depression. He met his wife to be, Ginger Meehan, while auditioning for show 'The Garrick Gaeities.' They married in 1931. They have two children, Amanda and John Jeff. Johnny Mercer passed on June 25, 1976 in Bel Air, California.

Stay tuned - I hope to soon post an audio interview done with Mercer in the 70's.
I will also try to post a recording called "An evening with Johnny Mercer" where he sings and tells stories!

Capitol Records:
Johnny co-founded Capitol Records in 1942 with Hollywood music store owner Glenn Wallichs and movie producer Buddy DeSylva.

"Like Mercer's musical genius, Capitol Records was new, fresh and revolutionary. He wanted to form a record company where music that was recorded and the artists who recorded it were treated differently. He wanted to give new artists and veteran artists alike the freedom to grow and to expand their artistic palette.
Capitol Records provided a competitive alternative to the three major record companies of the day -- Victor, Columbia and Decca -- all established in New York. With his new record company, Mercer helped to change the sound of American pop music and the way it was made.
In her autobiography, It Might As Well Be Spring, singer Margaret Whiting, a close personal friend of Mercer's and one of the first singers to record on the new label, wrote that he "was a man bursting with talent and always looking for a place to channel his energies. This idea of a record company seemed ideal."
Mercer took his idea to one of his best friends, Glenn Wallichs, the owner of Music City, the biggest record store in Los Angeles situated across from NBC. Wallichs loved the thought of being a part of such a venturesome endeavor. It was agreed upon that Wallichs would run the business while Mercer would find the artists and supervise their artistic output.
All that was needed to set Capitol Records into motion was financial backing. Mercer looked to Buddy DeSylva, who, besides being a great songwriter in his own right, had become head of production at Paramount Studios. DeSylva was also excited about Mercer's new project and quickly wrote him out a check for $25,000. Capitol Records was now in business."
Excerpt from Stephen Fratallone's 60th anniversary tribute article.

Awards:
Oscar for Best Music Original Song 1947 - The Harvey Girls (with Harry Warren)
Oscar for Best Music Original Song 1952 - Here Comes the Groom (with Hoagy Carmichael)
Oscar for Best Music Original Song 1962 - Breakfast at Tiffany's (with Henry Mancini)
Oscar for Best Music Original Song 1963 - Days of Wine and Roses (with Henry Mancini)
Golden Globe 1971 - Darling Lili (with Henry Mancini)
Golden Globe 1972 - Kotch (with Marvin Hamlisch)
Helped establish the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
Hollywood Walk of Fame, 1628 Vine St.

Here are some shots of 'The Savannah Flash' and his infectious smile!

Johnny formed Capitol Records in 1942.
The Capitol Records Tower,
the world's first circular office building,
was completed in April of 1956.
1750 N. Vine St., Los Angeles, CA

Johnny Mercer's Home on Burnside Island
in Savannah,Ga. Behind it is "Moon River" >
photo courtesy of Austin Hill

The "Back River", now known as "Moon River"
photo courtesy of Austin Hill

"And the angels sing."
Yes, they do. They certainly do.

Gravesite of Johnny's Grandparents,
Nannie Herndon Mercer & George A. Mercer,
(Dec. 17, 1841 - June 16, 1885).

Now here's something interesting -
an outfit named 'Accentuate the Positive'!
www.recitalexpo.com