# Alex Kramer

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{{Short description|Canadian songwriter}}
{{distinguish|text=Alexander Krämer, a professor of public health at Bielefeld University}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}

'''Alex Kramer''' (May 30, 1903 – February 10, 1998) was a Canadian songwriter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alex Kramer {{!}} Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee |url=https://www.cshf.ca/songwriter/alex-kramer/ |access-date=2023-12-11 |website=Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame |language=en-US}}</ref>

He was born in [Montreal](/source/Montreal), Quebec, Canada. His parents were Adolph and Freda Kramer. At age 17 he was hired as a pianist in a [silent movie](/source/silent_movie) theater in Montreal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1998-02-16 |title=ALEX KRAMER, COMPOSER OF NUMEROUS HIT SONGS |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-02-16-9802160114-story.html |access-date=2023-12-11 |website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> He traveled first to [Palm Beach, Florida](/source/Palm_Beach%2C_Florida), joining the [Meyer Davis Orchestra](/source/Meyer_Davis_(musician)), and then to [Paris](/source/Paris) and [Cannes](/source/Cannes), before returning to [New York City](/source/New_York_City), where he became a radio bandleader. He also worked as an accompanist in [nightclub](/source/nightclub)s and in [vaudeville](/source/vaudeville).

One of his other musical activities was coaching vocalists in singing techniques, and one of his students was [Joan Whitney](/source/Joan_Whitney_Kramer), who eventually became both his wife and his songwriting partner.<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 July 1990 |title=Joan Whitney Kramer, Singer and Songwriter, 76 |work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/21/obituaries/joan-whitney-kramer-singer-and-songwriter-76.html |access-date=11 December 2023}}</ref> Their first hit as a songwriting team was "[High on a Windy Hill](/source/High_on_a_Windy_Hill)," which became a No.&nbsp;1 hit in 1941 for the [Jimmy Dorsey](/source/Jimmy_Dorsey) orchestra.

In 1948, he and his wife started a song publishing firm. However, soon followed the end of the [big band](/source/big_band) era, leading to the collapse of their publishing business. He eventually became associated with [Bourne Co. Music Publishers](/source/Bourne_Co._Music_Publishers). He also continued to lead an orchestra, conduct on the radio, and serve as an accompanist in night clubs and what remained of the vaudeville business.

==Death==
In 1973 he moved to [Westport, Connecticut](/source/Westport%2C_Connecticut), where he died at age 94. {{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

==Songs written==
===with Joan Whitney===
*"[Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens](/source/Ain't_Nobody_Here_But_Us_Chickens)" (1946) 
*"Behave Yourself"
*"Deep as the River" (recorded by [Harry Belafonte](/source/Harry_Belafonte) in 1949)
*"[Far Away Places](/source/Far_Away_Places)" (1948)
*"High on a Windy Hill" (1940)
*"[Love Somebody](/source/Love_Somebody_(1947_song))" (1947)
*"Money Is the Root of All Evil" (1945) 
*"No Man Is an Island"

===with [Mack David](/source/Mack_David) and Joan Whitney===
*"[Candy](/source/Candy_(1944_song))" (1944)
*"[It's Love, Love, Love](/source/It's_Love%2C_Love%2C_Love)" (1943)

===with [Hy Zaret](/source/Hy_Zaret) and Joan Whitney===
* "[My Sister and I](/source/My_Sister_and_I_(song))" (1941)
* "The Doll With The Sawdust Heart" (1951)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kramer, Alex}}
Category:American male songwriters
Category:1903 births
Category:1998 deaths
Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States
Category:Canadian male songwriters
Category:Musicians from Montreal
Category:Songwriters from Quebec
Category:Writers from Montreal
Category:20th-century American musicians
Category:20th-century Canadian male musicians

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