Jack Yellen

Lyricist Jack Yellen was born in Poland on July 6, 1892.

In 1897, the Yellen family immigrated to the US. After graduating from the University of Michigan, Jack found work as a report for the Buffalo Courier. He soon moved to New York to become a songwriter and wrote special material for singers including Sophie Tucker.

Yellen collaborated with many composers including Milton Ager, Abe Olman, Harold Arlen, Sammy Fain, Ray Henderson, Joe Meyer, Lew Pollack and Samuel Pokrass.

Throughout his career, he wrote scores for several Broadway productions including What’s in a Name, Rain or Shine, John Murray Anderson’s Almanac, You Said It, George White’s Scandals of 1935 and 1939, Boys and Girls Together, Sons o’ Fun, Ziegfeld Follies of 1943.

Yellen moved to Hollywood under contract to film studios and became a screenwriter and lyricists for 20th Century Fox. His filmography includes score credits for Road Show, The King of Jazz, George White’s Scandals (1934, 1935), Happy Landing, King of Burlesque, Captain January and Sing, Baby Sing, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

Among the hit songs in the Jack Yellen catalog are “Down By the O-Hi-O”, “Are You from Dixie?”, “Alabama Jubilee”, “How’s Every Little Thing in Dixie?”, “I’m Waiting for Ships That Never Come In”, “A Young Man’s Fancy”, “Lovin’ Sam”, “Who Cares”, “Mama Goes Where Papa Goes”, “I Wonder What’s Become of Sally”, “Cheatin’ On Me”, “Big Bad Bill”, “Forgive Me”, “Crazy Words, Crazy Tune”, “Ain’t She Sweet?”, “Glad Rag Doll”, “Happy Days Are Here Again”, “A Bench in the Park”, “Sweet and Hot”, “You Said It”, “Oh, You Nasty Man”, “It’s an Old Southern Custom”, “Life Begins at Sweet Sixteen”, “The Right Somebody to Love”, “Are You Havin’ Any Fun?”, “Something I Dreamed Last Night”, “Happy in Love” and “Love Songs Are Made in the Night.”

Jack Yellen died in Concord, New York on April 17, 1991.