Sunny Skylar
Sunny Skylar (October 11, 1913 – February 2, 2009) was an American music composer, singer, lyricist, and music publisher, often recognized as one of the most prominent songwriters of the Tin Pan Alley era. Sunny Skylar had written over 300 songs according to ASCAP, and was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2010. His compositions have been performed and recorded by countless timeless acts such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, The Beatles, Tony Bennett, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and Benny Goodman. He may be best remembered for adapting English lyrics to popular songs like "Bésame Mucho" and "Amor", as well as his original compositions such as "Don't Wait Too Long", "Gotta Be This or That", "Waitin' For The Train to Come In", "You're Breaking My Heart", "Hair of Gold, Eyes of Blue", "A Little Bit South of North Carolina", and many more. Included in the Great American Songbook and The Real Book, many of Sunny Skylar's songs have remained jazz standards. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Brooklyn (borough of New York City, New York, United States), Died February 2, 2009 (Las Vegas (City of Clark County, and largest city in state of Nevada, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1940 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: songwriter, composer, lyricist, vocalist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-40 of 40 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | D7VB-1764 | 10-in. | 10/20/1947 | Song of New Orleans | Larry Green ; Larry Green Orchestra | Vocal trio, with jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Victor | D7VB-2076 | 10-in. | 11/14/1947 | I still love you | Kaye Choir ; Sammy Kaye ; Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye | Recitation, with vocal chorus and jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
| Victor | D7VB-2152 | 10-in. | 12/3/1947 | I'm a-rollin' | Roy Rogers | Male vocal solo, with string band | songwriter | |
| Victor | D7VB-2190 | 10-in. | 12/12/1947 | Ready, set, go! | Count Basie Orchestra ; Jeanne Taylor | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
| Victor | D8VB-3883 | 10-in. | 7/23/1948 | Hair of gold | Drugstore Cowboys ; Jack Lathrop | Male vocal quartet, with ukulele and 4 harmonicas | composer | |
| Victor | D8VB-4100 | 10-in. | 12/21/1948 | Don't hang around | Drugstore Cowboys ; Jack Lathrop | Male vocal solo, with mixed vocal trio and instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| Victor | D9VB-1041 | 10-in. | 5/18/1949 | Rue de romance | Nancy Evans ; Wayne King Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
| Victor | D9AB-2177 | 10-in. | 8/18/1949 | You're breaking my heart | Harry Prime ; Ralph Flanagan Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | D9VB-2184 | 10-in. | 8/17/1949 | A little golden cross | Moon Men ; Vaughn Monroe's Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with male vocal group and instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
| Victor | D9VB-2185 | 10-in. | 8/17/1949 | The jolly old man in the bright red suit (and the whiskers on his chin) | Vaughn Monroe's Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with female vocal group and instrumental ensemble | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | D9VB-2590 | 10-in. | 11/25/1949 | Mexicali Trail | Vaughn Monroe's Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
| Exclusive | EXC-1313 | 10-in. | 12/31/1949 | Hair of gold eyes of blue | Redd Harper | composer | ||
| Mercury | 9039 | 10-in. | 1952 | Too soon | Nook Schreier Orchestra ; Jimmy Ricks | songwriter | ||
| Decca | 87256 | 1/5/1955 | I do, I do | Sunny Skylar | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 87257 | 1/5/1955 | Sometime | Sunny Skylar | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Skylar, Sunny," accessed January 8, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/344111.
Skylar, Sunny. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/344111.
"Skylar, Sunny." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 8 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Sunny Skylar
Discogs: Sunny Skylar
Allmusic: Sunny Skylar
RISM: Sunny Skylar
IMDb: Sunny Skylar
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Skylar, Sunny, 1913-2009 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2002028606
Wikidata: Sunny Skylar - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1566340
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/44569074
MusicBrainz: Sunny Skylar - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/cace4f50-6af8-4edc-8ea1-1bab8cb18570
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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