George David Weiss (April 9, 1921 – August 23, 2010)
He is an inductee in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Biography
thumb|Weiss (left) with [[Bennie Benjamin in their New York office, 1947; by William P. Gottlieb]]
Weiss was born in a Jewish family and originally planned a career as a lawyer or accountant; however, out of a love for music, he was led to attend the Juilliard School of Music,
Notable songs
- "Cross over the Bridge" (1945) – co-written by Bennie Benjamin, recorded by Patti Page
- "Oh! What It Seemed to Be" (1946) – co-written by Bennie Benjamin and Frankie Carle, recorded by Frankie Carle and Frank Sinatra who both took it to #1
- "Lullaby of Birdland" (1952) – under the pseudonym "B. Y. Forster", with music by George Shearing
- "Mr. Wonderful" (1955) – co-written by Jerry Bock and Lawrence Holofcener
- "Mandolins in the Moonlight (1958) – co-written by Aaron Schroeder, recorded by Perry Como
- "Johnny Freedom" (1960) – co-written by Jule Styne, recorded by Johnny Horton
- "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (1961) – originally written by Solomon Linda in 1939; lyrics rewritten in 1961 by Weiss, Luigi Creatore, and Hugo Peretti; recorded by The Tokens
- "Can't Help Falling in Love" (1961) – co-written by Luigi Creatore and Hugo Peretti, recorded by Elvis Presley
- "Wild in the Country" (1961) – co-written by Luigi Creatore and Hugo Peretti, recorded by Elvis Presley for the movie of the same name
- "That Sunday, That Summer" (1963) – co-written by Joe Sherman
- "Stay With Me" (1966) – co-written by Jerry Ragovoy, recorded by Lorraine Ellison
- "What a Wonderful World" (1968) – co-written by Bob Thiele, recorded by Louis Armstrong
- "Let's Put It All Together" (1974) – co-written by Luigi Creatore and Hugo Peretti, recorded by The Stylistics