Lyricist Johnny Mercer emerges as a loveable character in Gene Lees’ biography, despite his dark side. Lees had access to Mercer’s autobiographical writings and to members of the family, and the book benefits from Lees’ own long-standing relationships with Mercer’s many contemporaries. Lees captures the South of Mercer’s childhood, his early scrabbling years, the courtship of his wife Ginger, his rise to prominence, his relationship with Judy Garland, and the success of Capitol Records which Johnny founded. There is a fascinating chapter on the history and influence of radio, a picturesque look at early Hollywood, and an analysis of the factors behind the decline of popular music. Lees discusses the history of many Mercer songs describing in detail what makes them special and why his forays into Broadway musicals were mostly unsuccessful despite his immense talent. The book contains a useful index.

Gene Lees is a jazz journalist, the biographer of Oscar Peterson and of Lerner and Loewe, and the author of Meet Me at Jim & Andy’s; Friends Along the Way: A Journey Through Jazz; Cats of Any Color: Jazz, Black and White; Arranging the Score: Portraits of the Great Arrangers; Leader of the Band: The Life of Woody Herman; Fever: The Life and Music of Miss Peggy Lee; Singers and the Song, and Singers and the Song II. Lees is also a three-time winner of the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award, a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Journalists Association, a lyricist for such songs as Jobim’s “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars,” and the writer and publisher since 1981 of Jazzletter.