Sammy Fain

Sammy Fain (June 17, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American composer of popular music renowned for his contributions to Broadway musicals, Hollywood films, and enduring pop standards over a career spanning more than six decades.

Born Samuel Feinberg in New York City, Fain taught himself piano as a child and began his professional journey as a staff pianist and song plugger for the music publisher Jack Mills in the early 1920s. He initially gained prominence in vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley, forming a singing duo with Artie Dunn and publishing his first hit, "Nobody Knows What a Red-Headed Mama Can Do," in 1925. By the late 1920s, Fain had established himself as a key figure in American songwriting, collaborating with lyricists such as Irving Kahal on classics like "Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella" (1927) and "I'll Be Seeing You" (1938), the latter becoming a poignant wartime anthem revived during World War II.

Sammy Fain was born Samuel Feinberg on June 17, 1902, in New York City. His family soon relocated to Sullivan County in upstate New York, where his father served as a cantor in a synagogue. This role provided young Feinberg with early immersion in Jewish liturgical music, fostering his innate interest in melody and harmony from childhood.

Growing up in a Jewish household amid the cultural vibrancy of early 20th-century America, Feinberg benefited from familial musical influences that extended beyond his father's cantorial duties. His brother pursued violin performance, while cousins Willie and Eugene Howard achieved prominence as a vaudeville comedy duo, exposing him to the entertainment world's performative traditions. These dynamics in the immigrant-influenced Jewish communities of New York shaped his foundational appreciation for music as both spiritual and theatrical expression.