Bob Hilliard

American pop lyricist Bob Hilliard wrote hits from the mid-'40s through the early '60s. Born in N.Y.C. in 1918, Hilliard was 28 years old when he wrote his first successful song, "The Coffe Song." The following year, he penned several more and wrote for the Broadway show Angel in the Wings. Other shows featuring Hilliard's songs were Michael Todd's Peep Show (1950) and Hazel Flagg (1953). He also had musical numbers in Disney's 1952 animated feature Alice in Wonderland -- "I'm Late," "Very Good Advice," and "All in the Golden Afternoon" -- and the 1954 film Living It Up, including "Money Burns a Hole in My Pocket," and "That's What I Like." Other popular songs by Hilliard include "Civilization" (1947), "Careless Hands" (1948), "Dear Hearts and Gentle People" (1949 song written for Bing Crosby), "Be My Life's Companion" (1951 song written for the Mills Brothers), "Bouquet of Roses" (1952), and "Every Street's a Boulevard in Old New York" (1953). In 1960, Hilliard shifted styles and focused on composing soft rock hits like "My Little Corner of the World," and the Ruby & the Romantics hit "Our Day Will Come." Over the years, Hilliard collaborated with composers David Mann, Carl Sigman, Jule Styne, Sammy Fain, and more. ~ Joslyn Layne