Al Dubin

Al Dubin (June 10, 1891 – February 11, 1945) was an American lyricist of Russian-Jewish descent, renowned for his prolific contributions to Broadway musicals and Hollywood films during the 1920s through 1940s, particularly through his long-standing partnership with composer Harry Warren.

Born in Zurich, Switzerland, to Russian parents, Dubin immigrated to the United States at age two, settling in Philadelphia where his father worked as a physician. He attended public schools and the Perkiomen Seminary in Pennsylvania before briefly studying medicine, from which he was expelled in 1911. Early in his career, Dubin joined Witmark Music Publishing as a songwriter, achieving his first major hit in 1916 with "'Twas Only an Irishman's Dream."

Al Dubin was born on June 10, 1891, in Zürich, Switzerland, to Russian-Jewish parents Simon and Minna Dubin. Simon Dubin was a doctor, while Minna, originally from Panevėžys in the Russian Empire (present-day Lithuania), worked as a chemical engineer and later became an M.D., having developed innovations in linseed oil extraction and detergents.

The Dubin family immigrated to the United States in 1893, when Al was two years old, initially arriving in New York before settling in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, Minna and Simon continued their professional pursuits amid the challenges of immigrant life, raising their sons in a Russian-Jewish household. Al's younger brother, Joseph Dubin, was born in Philadelphia and later became a Hollywood composer.

Following his family's immigration from Europe to Philadelphia when he was two years old, Al Dubin adapted to American culture amid a blend of Russian-Jewish heritage and emerging urban influences.