Lou Handman

Lou Handman (born 10 September 1894 in New York City, New York, † December 9, 1956 in Flushing, New York City, New York ) was an American songwriter and film score composer. Together with lyricist Roy Turk wrote the ballad 1926 Are You Lonesome Tonight?, Which came in the interpretation of Elvis Presley to world fame.

Life

Handman began his career as a touring vaudeville artists across Australia and New York. During his service in the U.S. Army during the First World War, he played piano concerts for soldiers. After the war he came to the Tin Pan Alley, where he worked as a song promoter for Irving Berlin and as a pianist for Marion Harris. He began writing his own songs, his greatest successes were Me and the Moon, No Nothing, What it Rain, Blue and Broken Hearted and Are You Lonesome Tonight?. In 1930 he moved with his wife, vaudeville star Florrie Le Vere, to Hollywood, where he composed film scores on behalf of Universal Studios. Handman died in 1956 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 posthumously.