Amanda Mercer Néder and Jim Corwin oral history interview, October 5, 1996

Interviewed by Chris Paton. This interview, which took place on October 5, 1996, begins with a discussion of the names and relationships of various members of the Mercer and Meltzer family. Néder talks at some length about her childhood, including the trips to Savannah, the houses the family lived in, and the things that she and her father did for recreation. She speaks of the celebrities that visited their home, particularly Nat King Cole, Marilyn and Alan Bergman, and others. She also mentions being taken to work with her father when she was quite young, and she talks briefly about the radio and television shows that Mercer was involved in. Corwin joins the dialogue at several points to reminisce about the times he spent with his grandfather, recalling especially a song that Mercer wrote for Corwin's cub scout troop and several other humorous incidents that took place when he was growing up. Néder and Corwin both discuss the period during which the show Good Companions was produced in England, and Mercer's final illness, which followed. At the end of the conversation, they talk about the current revival of interest in Mercer's songs.