Al Hoffman

American pop composer Al Hoffman wrote hit songs and scores for Broadway and Hollywood from the 1930s through the late '50s. Born in 1902 in Minsk, Russia, Hoffman emigrated to the U.S. with his family in 1908. They settled in Seattle, WA, where Hoffman grew up and eventually led a band. He moved to New York in 1928, got a job drumming in a nightclub, and began composing two years later. His first hit came quickly, with "I Don't Mind Walkin' in the Rain" (1930). He followed this up with a number of hits over the next few years, including "Heartaches" (1931), "Auf Wiedersehen, My Dear" (1932), and "I Saw Stars" (1934). Hoffman went to England in 1934 to write for the stage and cinema, staying until 1937. During this time, Hoffman worked with his chief collaborator since the early '30s, Al Goodhart, and with Maurice Sigler. Over the years, he also collaborated with Ed Nelson, Sammy Lerner, and Jerry Livingston. Hoffman also collaborated with Mack David on the score of Disney's Cinderella, which includes such songs as "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" (1949). Some of Hoffman's best-known songs include "I Apologize," (1931), "Fit As a Fiddle" (1932), "Black Coffee" (1935), "I'm in a Dancing Mood" (1936), "On the Bumpy Road to Love" (1938), "Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba" (1947), "Takes Two to Tango," (1953) and his final hit, 1959's"La Plume de Ma Tante." ~ Joslyn Layne