There is a new documentary about composer Phil Springer.
Phil Springer, who will be 99 on May 12, refers to himself as “living relic of American Song.” Now there is a short documentary about this exceptional man click here.
Springer has been credited with 540 musical pieces, including songs for numerous well-known singers, such as Frank Sinatra (“How Little it Matters, How Little We Know”), Judy Garland (“Heartbroken”), Elvis Presley (“Never Ending”), Frankie Laine (“Moonlight Gambler”) and Aretha Franklin (“Her Little Heart Went to Loveland”).
His daughter Tamar, is submitting this documentary to festivals, so that everyone can learn not only more about her famous father, but also the history of American songs.
Tamar told CTN that during the Palisades Fire, “My condo burned, and my parents’ home (my childhood home) burned. Three weeks after the displacement, my mom passed away.
“My dad is hanging in there somehow. He was very devastated and heartbroken after the fires, then losing my mom who he was married to for 68 years was just too much,” Tamar wrote. “But he is the most resilient man I’ve ever met – he decided he is going to live! He is living in a friend’s rented home in Venice with my sister. He is playing piano every day again, and living purposefully, still.”
Springer was born in New York City and went to grade and high school on Long Island. In 1944 he graduated from Lawrence High School, where he was voted the most musical person in his class.
During WWII, he served as a truck drive and was Mickey Rooney’s musical director in 1945 at a show in Germany. When Rooney was discharged, Springer took over his role as composer on an Army Show Don’t Touch that Dial.
Springer studied composition at Columbia College and while there, he started writing songs. He graduated in 1950, and his first top ten song was Teasin’ (lyrics by Richard Adler) debuted the same year and was recorded by Connie Haines in the United States and by The Beverly Sisters in the UK.
He received a master’s degree from New York University, and his doctorate in composition from UCLA in 1973.
Many people only remember him from the hit song Santa Baby, which was originally sung by Eartha Kitt in 1953, and still today remains a perennial favorite among vocal artists.
Throughout his career, Springer has had extended collaborations with many highly accomplished lyric writers, such as Fred Ebb, Richard Adler, and E.Y. “Yip” Harburg.
Tamar said, “I made this documentary to share a story that I believe should be shared with the world. My dad’s musical legacy goes far beyond Santa Baby. He has composed so much music, in all idioms of music.
“His story is a fascinating walk-through 20th century music, and I wanted to share it with the world,” Tamar said. “My dad and his music deserve to be known for More Than Santa Baby.”
Phil Springer composed music for Broadway and for films.
Many may remember this exceptional artist won the 2024 Webby Award for Best Individual Performance. When he was 95, Springer played Moonlight Sonata for Tamar, on her birthday. She posted a video of him playing Beethoven’s piece and it went viral.
Tamar is hoping that a Video on Demand company will be interested in this short documentary and has submitted it to U.S. Film Festivals. “I am hoping because the backdrop of the story is in New York it might be attractive to a New York Festival,” she said.
Phil Springer composed “I Fell in Love with New York City.”
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