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Happy Birthday, Johnny Mercer '27!
If you paid attention to the news today, chances are that you heard mention of an illustrious Woodberry alumnus, lyricist and songwriter Johnny Mercer '27, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday today. He died in 1976.
Johnny Mercer, a native of Savannah, Georgia, watched his career take off after Bing Crosby performed one of his songs, "I'm an Old Cowhand From the Rio Grande," in the Film Rhythm on the Range in 1936. He won Academy Awards for four songs: "On the Atchinson, Topeka, and the Santa Fe" (1946); "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" (1951); "Days of Wine and Roses" (1962); and, perhaps his best known song, "Moon River" (1961). He was one of the co-founders of Capitol Records.
Johnny Mercer was one of four brothers from Savannah to graduate from Woodberry. Three other Mercer boys graduated from Woodberry, including Joseph M. Mercer, Johnny Mercer's first cousin, who was Woodberry's headmaster during the 1950s. In 1936, Johnny wrote words and music to a Woodberry fight song and sent it to Mr. and Mrs. Walker in time for The Game on November 17. It is called "Fight for the Orange and Black," and the boys learned it in time to sing it at The Game. While at Woodberry, Johnny studied Latin, French, and Spanish. He always said that all of his linguistic ability and his facility with English were the result of his Woodberry education, because he did not go on to college, due to economic setbacks in the late 1920s.
Today a sculpture of Johnny Mercer was unveiled in Savannah's Ellis Square. Woodberry Headmaster spoke at an event honoring Mercer in Savannah last Sunday evening.
Johnny Mercer, a native of Savannah, Georgia, watched his career take off after Bing Crosby performed one of his songs, "I'm an Old Cowhand From the Rio Grande," in the Film Rhythm on the Range in 1936. He won Academy Awards for four songs: "On the Atchinson, Topeka, and the Santa Fe" (1946); "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" (1951); "Days of Wine and Roses" (1962); and, perhaps his best known song, "Moon River" (1961). He was one of the co-founders of Capitol Records.
Johnny Mercer was one of four brothers from Savannah to graduate from Woodberry. Three other Mercer boys graduated from Woodberry, including Joseph M. Mercer, Johnny Mercer's first cousin, who was Woodberry's headmaster during the 1950s. In 1936, Johnny wrote words and music to a Woodberry fight song and sent it to Mr. and Mrs. Walker in time for The Game on November 17. It is called "Fight for the Orange and Black," and the boys learned it in time to sing it at The Game. While at Woodberry, Johnny studied Latin, French, and Spanish. He always said that all of his linguistic ability and his facility with English were the result of his Woodberry education, because he did not go on to college, due to economic setbacks in the late 1920s.
Today a sculpture of Johnny Mercer was unveiled in Savannah's Ellis Square. Woodberry Headmaster spoke at an event honoring Mercer in Savannah last Sunday evening.
Woodberry Forest School is an exceptional private school community for high school boys in grades nine through twelve. It is one of the top boarding schools in the United States and one of the only all-boys, all-boarding schools in the country.
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Woodberry Forest admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, and national or ethnic origin to all of the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs. The school is authorized under federal law to enroll nonimmigrant students.