| Dick Manning | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Samuel Medoff |
| Born | June 12, 1912 Gomel, Belarus (formerly Russian Empire) |
| Died | April 11, 1991 (aged 78) Marietta, Georgia [1] |
| Occupations | Songwriter |
| Associated acts | The Barry Sisters Seymour Rexite the Yiddish Swingtet |
| Notable instruments | |
| piano | |
Dick Manning (June 12, 1912 – April 11, 1991) [2] was a Russian-born American songwriter, best known for his many collaborations with Al Hoffman.
Manning was born in Gomel, and came to the United States with his family when he was six years old. He studied at the Juilliard School of Music.[2] Manning made the change from Medoff in 1948, when he was beginning to have success with his songwriting.[2]
In the early 1940s, he had a radio show on WHN radio in New York called Sam Medoff and His Yiddish Swing Orchestra; his band was called "The Yiddish Swingtet".[2] He and his band were also regulars on "Yiddish Melodies in Swing", also broadcast on WHN. The 15 minute weekly radio show, which blended traditional Yiddish folk music with swing and jazz, got its start on the station in 1938. Medoff and his Swingtet were hired to give a new twist to the traditional songs, as well as introduce new popular songs performed in Yiddish. The Barry Sisters (Claire and Merna) were hired as the vocalists.[3][4] The radio show was originally done live at the Lowes State Theatre every Sunday at 1PM; it was heard on radio until 1955.[5][6] Medoff also played piano and organ for Yiddish crooner Seymour Rexite's radio show.[7]
He was the co-writer of many popular songs, among them: "Takes Two to Tango," "Fascination", "Hot Diggity" and "Papa Loves Mambo." They were recorded by artists such as Perry Como, Sammy Kaye, Kate Smith and others; they have been published in 27 languages.[1][2] He also composed The Boys From Boise, the first full-length television musical, which was presented on the DuMont Television Network in 1944, appearing earlier in that year on DuMont's Key-Bored Televisual Presentations as a pianist.[8][9] Manning also was an arranger, vocal coach and wrote radio jingles.[1]
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