The Charles S. Tigerman Papers contain legal documents and notes related to the copyright of lyricist Johnny Mercer's songs and the estate of his widow, Ginger Mercer, 1975-1995, as well as material related to Mercer festivals, 1994-1996. Charles S. Tigerman is a practicing attorney who has served as the Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Johnny Mercer Foundation.
Abstract:
Emma Kelly was a lifelong resident of Statesboro, Georgia. Having learned to play the piano at the age of six, she continued to perform for civic clubs and special events across the state for the rest of her life. The locally famous "Miss Emma" achieved world-renown when author John Berendt devoted an entire chapter to her in his novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The Emma Kelly collection includes documentary materials and artifacts...
Dates:
circa 1900-2001; Majority of material found within 1980 - 1999
Abstract:
This collection consists of research materials used by Gene Lees when he was writing his Johnny Mercer biography, Portrait of Johnny: The life of John Herndon Mercer. The papers include the correspondence files of both Gene Lees and Johnny Mercer, Mercer family biographical information, page proofs of Portrait of Johnny, as well as an unpublished manuscript entitled Song Lake Summer. Other...
Dates:
1808-2004; Majority of material found within 1990 - 2004
This collection consists of newsclippings, press releases, programs, an interview transcript and other material relating to Johnny Mercer, 1946-1977, which Georgia State University professor Geoffrey Parker gathered from various sources including recordings of a GSU tribute to Johnny Mercer.
This collection consists of fourteen color photo images (28 prints, 2 of each image) of the lobby at the Rialto Theater prior to the Mercer postal stamp celebration in September 1996.
Abstract:
Ginger Mercer was born Elizabeth Meltzer on June 25, 1909 in Brooklyn, New York, one of three daughters born to Anna and Joseph Meltzer. While a member of the cast of the Garrick Gaieties of 1930 Ginger met an aspiring actor named Johnny Mercer, her future husband, who had moved to New York from Savannah, Georgia to try his hand at a show business career. Following her husband's death, Ginger traveled widely and spent much of her time promoting her Johnny...
Scope and Content of the Collection
The John and Seymour Rennolds Collection covers the time period from 1933 to about 1992. The manuscript portion of the collection includes materials that the Rennolds gathered on twentieth-century lyricist and composer Johnny Mercer (1909-1976). Included in the collection are a brief history of the collection itself, general files, correspondence, clippings and programs, music and lyrics, song magazines, one photograph, and three videotapes.A significant part of the manuscript...
Dates:
1933-circa 1992; Majority of material found within 1970 - 1985
The Johnny and Ginger Mercer Papers contain manuscripts, photographs, sheet music, recordings, printed materials, and memorabilia documenting the early careers (1920s through about 1931) of both Johnny and Ginger Mercer; their courtship and marriage (1930 and 1931); and Johnny Mercer's career as a songwriter, performer, and businessman as it continued after their marriage; Johnny Mercer's work as a lyricist.
The collection consists of 24 contracts (dated 1933;1939, 1952-1978) signed by American lyricist Johnny Mercer (1909-1976), some with associated correspondence; and one contract signed by his son after his death.
The collection consists of three compact discs made from audiotapes and a phonograph record. The recordings (circa 1967) feature Johnny Mercer vocals, accompanied by a piano or small combo, for 19 songs he composed for the unproduced musical "Mike," a musical comedy for the stage based on Mickey Spillane's hard-boiled detective Mike Hammer.
Abstract
The Johnny Mercer Oral History Project includes interviews with family members, friends, and colleagues of Johnny and Ginger Mercer. John Herndon Mercer (1909-1976), a native of Savannah, Georgia, began writing songs at the age of fifteen and eventually became one of the foremost figures of 20th century American popular music. His catalog includes many numbers that have become American classics, and his activities as lyricist, composer, performer and businessman span a period of nearly five...
Abstract:
John Herndon Mercer (1909-1976), a native of Savannah, Georgia, began writing songs at the age of fifteen and eventually became one of the foremost figures of 20th century American popular music. His catalog includes many numbers that have become American classics, and his activities as lyricist, composer, performer and businessman span a period of nearly five decades. The Johnny Mercer papers consist of biographical materials (including an unpublished autobiography), correspondence, drafts...
Abstract
The Johnny Mercer Foundation worked with the Turner Classic Movies network, Rhapsody Productions, executive producer Clint Eastwood and director Bruce Ricker to create Johnny Mercer: The Dream's On Me, a 100-minute documentary on the life and music of songwriter Johnny Mercer, released in 2009. The collection includes production and research materials created or assembled for the film, 1912-2013, including newly-created interviews and performances as well as...
The Johnny Mercer "Three Arabian Knights" collection contains materials related to the never produced 1960s musical, "Three Arabian Knights." It includes draft lyrics, screenplay, script, telegrams, reel-to-reel tapes of the songs and CDs. Materials date from around 1960 to 1969.