Mort Shuman

Who was Mort Shuman?

Mortimer Shuman (November 12, 1938 – November 2, 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas". Mortimer Shuman was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States, on, to Polish Jewish immigrant parents. He learned English at the end of grade school. He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as "Le Lac Majeur", "Papa-Tango-Charly", "Sha Mi Sha", "Un Été de Porcelaine", and "Brooklyn by the Sea" which became hits in France and several other European countries. Shuman wrote over 500 songs, including those for Ben E. King, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Andy Williams, and Janis Joplin. He was also responsible for the English-language production of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. His parents, Louis and Esther, were poor.

Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe moved to Brooklyn, where Shuman lived in an apartment near the sea. Shuman was taller than peers of the same age. Like other Brooklyn residents, Shuman spoke Yiddish.

Historical significance

Shuman was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.