Even though Mercer was from the South (Savannah, Ga.), his songs and singing voice by the mid-'40s have a distinctly Los Angeles sound. Just hearing his plucky vibrato makes you think of palm trees in ...

That old Mercer magic is back, working wonders on the soundtrack from a recent documentary film marking the composer's 100th birthday, "Johnny Mercer: The Dream's On Me." Lyricist Johnny Mercer was ...

Even the greatest songwriters tended to think of him in a whole other league. His name became shorthand for a standard of excellence in songwriting, as in, “Yeah, I’m a good songwriter. I’m no Johnny ...