Bob Hilliard
Encyclopedia
Bob Hilliard was an American
lyricist
. He wrote the words for the songs; "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
", "Any Day Now
", "Dear Hearts and Gentle People
", "Our Day Will Come
", "My Little Corner of the World
", and "Seven Little Girls (Sitting in the Back Seat)".
, New York
, and after attending secondary school
, Hilliard began work as a lyricist
in Tin Pan Alley
. He penned "The Coffee Song
", his first successful number, at the age of 28. On Broadway
, Hilliard wrote successful scores for both Angel in the Wings (1947) and Hazel Flagg
(1953). He also worked in the role as lyricist for the film score
to Alice in Wonderland
(1951). This included providing the words to the song, "I'm Late". The 1954 comedy film
, Living It Up
, included his songs "Money Burns a Hole in My Pocket," and "That's What I Like."
Hilliard had later success as joint composer of "Our Day Will Come
". The song
was a #1 hit
on the US
Billboard Hot 100
chart
in 1963 for Ruby & the Romantics
.
In his lifetime, Hilliard worked with a number of composer
s and lyricists including Burt Bacharach
, Carl Sigman
, Jule Styne
, Mort Garson
, Sammy Mysels, Dick Sanford, Milton DeLugg
, Philip Springer, Lee Pockriss
and Sammy Fain
.
Married to Jacqueline Dalya, Hilliard was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 1983.
Bob Hilliard died at the age of 53, in Hollywood, California, on February 1, 1971.
as:-
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
. He wrote the words for the songs; "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
"In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" is a 1955 popular song composed by David Mann, with lyrics by Bob Hilliard. It was introduced as the title track of Frank Sinatra's 1955 album In the Wee Small Hours....
", "Any Day Now
Any Day Now (1962 song)
"Any Day Now" is the title of a popular song written by songwriters Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard in 1962. The song has been recorded by numerous artists over the years, including notable versions by Chuck Jackson in 1962, Alan Price in 1965, Elvis Presley in 1969, and Ronnie Milsap in...
", "Dear Hearts and Gentle People
Dear Hearts and Gentle People
"Dear Hearts and Gentle People" is a popular song published in 1949 with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Bob Hilliard. They were inspired to write the song based on a scrap of paper with the words "Dear friends and gentle hearts" written on it that was found on the body of Stephen Foster when he...
", "Our Day Will Come
Our Day Will Come
"Our Day Will Come" is a popular song composed by Bob Hilliard and Mort Garson which was a #1 hit in 1963 for Ruby & The Romantics.-Ruby & the Romantics:...
", "My Little Corner of the World
My Little Corner of the World
"My Little Corner of the World" is a 1960 love song with music written by Lee Pockriss and lyrics by Bob Hilliard. It was first recorded by singer Anita Bryant in 1960, as "In My Little Corner of the World", and released on the album Hear Anita Bryant in Your Home Tonight!...
", and "Seven Little Girls (Sitting in the Back Seat)".
Career
Born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and after attending secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, Hilliard began work as a lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
in Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
. He penned "The Coffee Song
The Coffee Song
"The Coffee Song" is a novelty song written by Bob Hilliard and Dick Miles, first recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1946....
", his first successful number, at the age of 28. On Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, Hilliard wrote successful scores for both Angel in the Wings (1947) and Hazel Flagg
Hazel Flagg
Hazel Flagg is a musical with a book by Ben Hecht, lyrics by Bob Hilliard, and music by Jule Styne. The musical is based on the 1937 screwball comedy film Nothing Sacred...
(1953). He also worked in the role as lyricist for the film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
to Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 1951 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based primarily on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with a few additional elements from Through the Looking-Glass. Thirteenth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was released in New...
(1951). This included providing the words to the song, "I'm Late". The 1954 comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
, Living It Up
Living It Up
Living It Up is a 1954 film comedy starring the team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and released by Paramount Pictures.The film was directed by Norman Taurog and produced by Paul Jones. The screenplay by Jack Rose and Melville Shavelson was based on the 1953 musical Hazel Flagg by Ben Hecht, in...
, included his songs "Money Burns a Hole in My Pocket," and "That's What I Like."
Hilliard had later success as joint composer of "Our Day Will Come
Our Day Will Come
"Our Day Will Come" is a popular song composed by Bob Hilliard and Mort Garson which was a #1 hit in 1963 for Ruby & The Romantics.-Ruby & the Romantics:...
". The song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
was a #1 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
on the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in 1963 for Ruby & the Romantics
Ruby & the Romantics
Ruby & the Romantics was an American R&B group in the 1960s. They had several pop and R&B hit records, but are sometimes considered as a one-hit wonder for topping the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1963 with their first recording, "Our Day Will Come", written by Mort Garson and Bob Hilliard...
.
In his lifetime, Hilliard worked with a number of composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s and lyricists including Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
, Carl Sigman
Carl Sigman
Carl Sigman was an American songwriter.-Biography:Born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, Sigman graduated from law school and passed his Bar exams to practice in the state of New York...
, Jule Styne
Jule Styne
Jule Styne was a British-born American songwriter especially famous for a series of Broadway musicals, which included several very well known and frequently revived shows.-Early life:...
, Mort Garson
Mort Garson
Mort Garson who was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, was an electronic musician best known for his albums that predominantly feature Moog synthesizers.-Early life:...
, Sammy Mysels, Dick Sanford, Milton DeLugg
Milton DeLugg
Milton DeLugg is an American composer and arranger.-Biography:A talented accordionist, he appeared in short Soundies musicals and occasional movies . He quickly became a successful arranger and composer...
, Philip Springer, Lee Pockriss
Lee Pockriss
Lee Julian Pockriss was an American songwriter who wrote many well-known popular songs and several scores for films and Broadway shows.-Early life and career:...
and Sammy Fain
Sammy Fain
Sammy Fain was an American composer of popular music.-Biography:Sammy Fain was born in New York City. In 1923, Fain appeared with Artie Dunn in a short film directed by Lee De Forest filmed in DeForest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process. In 1925, Fain left the Fain-Dunn act to devote himself to...
.
Married to Jacqueline Dalya, Hilliard was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
in 1983.
Bob Hilliard died at the age of 53, in Hollywood, California, on February 1, 1971.
Song credits
Between the mid 1940s and the early 1960s, Hilliard co-wrote such hitsHit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
as:-
|
Dearie "Dearie" is a popular song.The music was written by David Mann; the lyrics, by Bob Hilliard. The song was published in 1950.The song is about reminiscences, and often sung as a duet... " From the Candy Store on the Corner to the Chapel on the Hill "From the Candy Store on the Corner to the Chapel on the Hill" is a popular song by Bob Hilliard, published in 1956.The recording by Tony Bennett and Lois Winter was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 40726. It first reached the Billboard magazine charts on August 18, 1956 and lasted 7... " In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" is a 1955 popular song composed by David Mann, with lyrics by Bob Hilliard. It was introduced as the title track of Frank Sinatra's 1955 album In the Wee Small Hours.... " My Little Corner of the World "My Little Corner of the World" is a 1960 love song with music written by Lee Pockriss and lyrics by Bob Hilliard. It was first recorded by singer Anita Bryant in 1960, as "In My Little Corner of the World", and released on the album Hear Anita Bryant in Your Home Tonight!... " |
Our Day Will Come "Our Day Will Come" is a popular song composed by Bob Hilliard and Mort Garson which was a #1 hit in 1963 for Ruby & The Romantics.-Ruby & the Romantics:... " Please Stay (song) "Please Stay" is an early hit of The Drifters featuring the new lead singer Rudy Lewis, who replaced Ben E. King... " (Why Did I Tell You I Was Going To) Shanghai " Shanghai" is a popular song written by Bob Hilliard and Milton De Lugg .It was recorded by Doris Day in 1951 and was a big hit for her. Another charting version was recorded by the Billy Williams Quartet.The recording by Doris Day was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 39423, with... " |
External links
- Bob Hilliard at the Composers/Lyricists Database website
- Bob Hilliard biography and songwriter credit listing