Songwriters Hall of Fame Member George David Weiss Passes Away

George David Weiss, whose career included writing numerous pop hits along with Broadway shows, passed away on Monday at the age of 89.

Even though Weiss originally wanted to be a lawyer or a journalist, he followed his love of music to attend Julliard.  After graduations, he began arranging music for big band leaders Stan Kenton, Vincent Lopez and Johnny Richards along with playing saxophone, clarinet and violin in a variety of bands.

In the mid-40's, Weiss took up songwriting and scored quickly and often over the next ten years with Oh! What it Seemed to Be (Frank Sinatra), Surrender (Perry Como), I Don't See You in My Eyes Anymore (Gordon Jenkins), I Ran All the Way Home (Sarah Vaughan), Wheel of Fortune (Kay Starr) and Cross Over the Bridge (Patti Page) and many more. 

During the 50's and 60's, Weiss continued to compose on his own but also started writing with other composers.  Those collaborations turned out some of his biggest hits over the next 15 years, including Lullaby of Birdland (with George Shearing), Can't Help Falling in Love (with Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, a major hit for Elvis Presley), The Lion Sleeps Tonight (again with Peretti and Creatore and a hit for the Tokens), What a Wonderful World (with Bob Thiele, an ongoing classic for Louis Armstrong) and That Sunday, That Summer (with Joe Sherman and recorded by Nat King Cole). 

In the 70's, Weiss worked extensively with Peretti and Creatore, then better known as Hugo and Luigi, writing for artists like the Stylistics. 

On Broadway, Weiss collaborated on three shows, Mr. Wonderful (with Jerry Bock and Larry Holofcener) which produced the hit Too Close for Comfort, First Impressions (with Robert Goldman and Glen Paxton), based on Jane Austin's Pride & Prejudice, and Maggie Flynn (with Peretti and Creatore).  For film, he composed the scores for Murder, Inc., Gidget Goes to Rome, Mediterranean Holiday and Mademoiselle and for TV, he wrote the musical A Tale of Cinderalla (with Will Severin).

Weiss was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and was a board member of the group.

A sample of George David Weiss' music with artists who recorded the song:

• Can Anyone Explain? (Ella Fitzgerald, Ames Brothers)
• Can't Give You Anything But Love (Stylistics)
• Can't Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley, UB40)
• Confess (Patti Page)
• Cross Over the Bridge (Patti Page)
• Echoes (Jo Stafford, Gordon MacRae)
• Heavy Fallin' Out (Stylistics)
• How Important Can it Be? (Joni James)
• I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore (Gordon Jenkins, Dean Martin, Charlie Rich)
• I Ran All the Way Home (Sarah Vaughan)
• I'll Never Be Free (Ella Fitzgerald with Louis Jordan, Dinah Washington, Laverne Baker)
• Jet (Nat King Cole)
• Let's Put It All Together (Stylistics)
  
• The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Tokens, Robert John)
• Lullaby of Birdland (Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan)
• Mr. Wonderful (Peggy Lee)
• Oh! What it Seemed to Be (Frank Sinatra)
• Put Your Dreams Away (For Another Day) (Frank Sinatra)
• Rumors Are Flying (Frankie Carle, Les Paul)
• Snoopy's Christmas (Royal Guardsmen)
• Stay With Me (Lorraine Ellison, Bette Midler)
• Surrender (Perry Como)
• That Sunday, That Summer (Nat King Cole)
• To Think You've Chosen Me (Eddy Howard)
• Too Close for Comfort (Eydie Gorme, Sammy Davis, Jr.)
• A Walking Miracle (Essex)
• What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
• Wheel of Fortune (Kay Starr)
• Wild in the Country (Elvis Presley)