This first biography of Jimmy McHugh captures a lively and significant
contributor to American songwriting. Creator of favorite tunes such as
"I'm in the Mood for Love" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street," McHugh
was a one-man history of twentieth-century popular music: in his
prolific composing career, he wrote songs for Duke Ellington, Shirley
Temple, Bobby Breen, Carmen Miranda, Deanna Durbin, Frank Sinatra, Ethel
Waters, Adelaide Hall, and scores of other entertainers, and his last
works were turned into smash hits by Pat Boone and Fats Domino.
Following McHugh from humble Irish-American beginnings in Boston to
eventual success in New York, Europe, and Los Angeles, Alyn Shipton
deftly evokes the lively milieus of Tin Pan Alley, the Cotton Club,
Broadway, and Hollywood. McHugh crossed the color line frequently,
writing revues for both black and white entertainers, and he and his
songwriting partner Dorothy Fields were also among the first to create
Hollywood musical films. In the 1940s, he waged heroic fundraising
efforts for the war effort and the crusade against polio. He continued
to write songs for shows, movies, and revues and managed up-and-coming
singers late in his life.