Carl Sigman was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1909. After a childhood highlighted by baseball games and classical piano lessons, he graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, and his mother gave him the ultimatum of becoming a doctor or a lawyer. Since he did not like the sight of blood, he chose law. He attended NYU Law School and was admitted to the New York State Bar. But music was his love, and he never practiced law. As his wife Terry Sigman would later put it, Carl felt music was more up his (Tin Pan) alley.
One of Carl’s friends as a young man was Johnny Mercer, already an important songwriter. Carl’s first published song was “Just Remember,” a collaboration with Mercer that became a hit in England in 1936. Although he loved Carl’s melodies, Johnny advised him to write lyrics, on the theory that he had already shown he had a way with words and tune writers were a dime a dozen. Mercer moved to Los Angeles, embarking on one of the most remarkable careers in the history of popular music, while Carl continued to make his way in New York.
Carl had his first smash hit, collaborating with Glenn Miller on “Pennsylvania 6-5000,” which remains a standard to this day. Carl was drafted in 1942 and was attached to the glider division of the 82nd Airborne. He received a $25 war bond for writing what became the 82nd's official song “The All American Soldier.” Awarded a Bronze star for his service in Africa, he was a true World War II hero when he was discharged in 1945.
In 1946-1947,…
Discography Highlights
EBB TIDE
Robert Maxwell, Carl Sigman
EMI Robbins Catalog, Inc.
WHERE DO I BEGIN (THEME FROM LOVE STORY)
Albert Lai Francis, Carl Sigman
Famous Music Corp.
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