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Bernie Hanighen
Bernard D. Hanighen
Composer, Lyricist, Record Producer
(1908 - 1976)
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Bernie Hanighen had his first hit in 1934, “When a Woman Loves a Man,” written with Gordon Jenkins with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. He collaborated with Mercer on several other songs, but only one of them, “Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight),” enjoyed success when it was introduced by Bing Crosby in 1937. Hanighen also wrote for Broadway shows and films, and his songs have appeared in revues as recently as 1997’s Dream.
His most important contribution to the jazz standards repertoire is his addition of lyrics to Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round Midnight” in collaboration with Clarence “Cootie” Williams in 1944. Jackie Paris was the first to sing these lyrics to Monk’s bebop masterpiece, and it soon became a favorite of vocalists as well as instrumentalists.
Hanighen was also a big supporter of Billie Holiday, co-producing with John Hammond her early recordings from 1936-1939. At the time all of the best songs were reserved for white singers, but somehow Hanighen managed to round up serious material to match Holiday’s talent. The Billie Holiday Collection, released in 2003, contains much of this material. In 1952 Holiday recorded “If the Moon Turns Green” a Hanighen collaboration with Paul Coates.
- Sandra Burlingame |
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