Cy's Literary References

Because Cy's professional and social life intersected in so many ways with others in New York's cabaret/café society, it was inevitable that he would be mentioned in various writings that chronicled the time, or, for that matter, the musical genre.  Included here are relevant excerpts from a number of literary works  ‑‑  of a most varied nature  ‑‑  where some refrence to, or discussion of, Cy appears.

ASCAP Biographical Dictionary
Fourth Edition
An alphabetical listing of all members of the American Society of Composers, Artists and Publishers, with a short listing of their achievements. Oddly enough, ASCAP has here failed to get both Cy's date of birth (16 September 1915) and date of death (18 August 1968) right. The erroneous reference to Cy's being born in 1925 apparently spread beyond this entry to other organizations' records on Cy, including that of the Library of Congress'.

Alec Wilder: A Bio-Bibliography
by David Demsey and Ronald Prather
A biography of the composer with extensive bibliography. Two separate bibliographic entries for Cy Walter.

Alec Wilder In Spite Of Himself
by Desmond Stone
Biography of the famous composer/songwriter.

American Popular Song
by Alec Wilder
An analysis of the popular song music genre in the first half of the 20th century by the prominent composer and songwriter. Cy Walter mentioned in the entry on Cole Porter.

American Singers: 27 Portraits In Song
by Whitney Balliett
The American Music scene, through the careers of 27 singers, amongst which are Mabel Mercer and Bobby Short, parts of which are excerpted here.

The Big Bands
by George Simon
A catalog of all the big bands, including the one that Cy Walter played for when he started.

Bricktop
by Bricktop with James Haskins
Autobiography of the famous singer/nightclub hostess. The Three Deuces and Tony's in pre-war New York nightlife.

Can't Help Singing
by Eileen Farrell and Brian Kellow
Autobiography of Eileen Farrell. Cy Walter accompanies Mabel Mercer.

Classical American Popular Song
by David Jenness and Don Vesley
Analysis of the popular song in America in the last half of the Twentieth Century.

Do Not Disturb
by Frank Case
Stories of the rich and famous by the host of the dining room at the Algonquin Hotel. Cy Walter plays as Greta Keller sings.

Ghost of a Chance
by Peter Duchin
Autobiography of the musician and son of Eddy Duchin.

Intimate Nights
by James Gavin
History of the New York cabaret scene.

It Might As Well Be Spring
by Margaret Whiting and Will Holt
The autobiography of Margaret Whiting.

Mabel Mercer: A Life
by James Haskins
A biography of Mabel Mercer.

Jazz Improvisation Vol. I
by John Mehegan
Study of the art of jazz. Cy Walter is listed (along with Thelonious Monk) as a piano "dissident."

Jazz Improvisation Vol. II
by John Mehegan
Second volume of Mehegan's study of jazz creativity.

Jazz Improvisation Vol. IV
by John Mehegan
Fourth volume of Mehegan's study of jazz creativity with accompanying e-mail from Lars Boye Jensen.

The Lion House
by Marjorie Lee
Lurid '50s novel, telling of the life of rich bohemians. They attend a performance of Cy Walter's and Mabel Mercer's.

Listen To The Stories
by Nat Hentoff
The great jazz critic on musicians and their stories.

Midnight At Mabel's
by Margaret Cheney
Biography of Mabel Mercer, to coincide with her centennial. Includes comments from Cam Walter.

Nice Work If You Can Get It
by Michael Feinstein
Autobiography of the noted singer/pianist/historian.

Nothing Whatever To Do
by Elsie and John Masterson
An account of the starting and flourishing of Blueberry Farm. They decide to move to the country in spite of Cy Walter's music.

Old Sheet Music: A Pictorial History
by Marian Kamlan
A photo album of old sheet music covers.

September In The Rain
Peter J. Levinson
A comprehenisve biography of the the great arranger, Nelson Riddle.

Simon Says
by George T. Simon
A collection of Mr. Simon's best writing from the pages of Metronome.

Writing About Your Life
by William Zinsser
The author relates how Cy Walter influenced his piano technique.