Mack the Knife

"Mack the Knife", originally "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer", is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their Dreigroschenoper, or, as it is known in English, Threepenny Opera. It premiered in Berlin in 1928.

American popular song

Mack the Knife was introduced to the US hit parade by Louis Armstrong in 1954, but the song is most closely associated with Bobby Darin, who recorded his version at Fulton Studios on West 40th Street, NYC, December 19, 1958 (Tom Dowd engineer). In 1959 Darin's version reached #1 on Billboard's Pop Singles and #6 on the Black Singles chart and was described by Frank Sinatra, who also recorded the song, as the "definitive" version.

Related Topics:
Hit parade - Louis Armstrong - Bobby Darin - Tom Dowd - Frank Sinatra

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Ella Fitzgerald made a famous live recording in which she forgot the lyrics after the first verse and successfully improvised new lyrics in a performance that earned a Grammy. Robbie Williams also recorded the song, the latter in his 2001 Swing album, Swing When You're Winning. Another version was recorded by Texas singer Jimmie Dale Gilmore.

Related Topics:
Ella Fitzgerald - Grammy - Robbie Williams - 2001 - Swing - Jimmie Dale Gilmore

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