Wikipedia:
Harry Akst (b. August 15, 1894 in New York City; † March 31, 1963 in Hollywood) was a U.S. songwriter.
Akst was born in New York City, where his father was an orchestral violinist with the Metropolitan Opera. He learned to play the piano at the age of five. He began his career after graduating from high school as a piano player with Vaudeville, accompanying singing stars such as Nora Bayes, for whom he worked for four years. When he enlisted in the Army in 1916, he met Irving Berlin there at Camp Upton, with whom he became friends. Irving employed him as a pianist in his music publishing business, and with him Harry wrote Home Again Blues in 1921. Other songs followed and quickly became popular: songs like Am I Blue?, Don't It Mean A Thing and Baby Face, which became famous in Europe in the interpretation of the whispering baritone Whispering Jack Smith.
His main success, however, became the song Dinah, which he wrote in 1925 with Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young. It was recorded in the wake of almost all the greats of American show business, such as Louis Armstrong, the Boswell Sisters, Bing Crosby, Sam Donahue, Ted Lewis, the Mills Brothers, the white male quartet The Revelers, Fats Waller and Ethel Waters. In England it was sung by the "American duettists" Layton & Johnstone, in France by Josephine Baker and the piano duettists Reyac & Lebas. In Germany, jazz-oriented bands such as Bernard Etté, Julian Fuhs and Efim Schachmeister (partly as "Dainah" on the labels) recorded it. It was also distributed as a music roll for mechanical musical instruments.
Akst also wrote film scores. He composed for Fox and Warner Brothers.
Songs by him included the films Bulldog Drummond, The Squall, This Is Heaven, On with the Show, Broadway Babies, The Mississippi Gambler, No, No, Nanette, Song of the West, The Song of the Flame, Lethernecking, Palmy Days, The Kid From Spain, Dinah, Professional Sweetheart, Glamour, Stand Up and Cheer! Change of Heart, The Silver Streak, Paddy O'Day, Star For A Night, Fight For Your Lady, Up the River, Battle of Broadway, Island in the Sky, Harvest Melody, Rosie the Riveter and This Time For Keeps.
In 1927, Akst worked for the Broadway production Artists and Models and thereafter also wrote music for Broadway musicals. He was featured in the film 42nd Street in the role of rehearsal pianist Gerry.
During World War II, Akst served with Al Jolson in overseas troop support. After 1945, he became Jolson's piano accompanist and selected songs for him. With him, he wrote the theme song for the hit comedy The Egg and I in 1947.
Akst died at the age of 68 in Hollywood, California. In 1983, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
His songs, such as Baby Face, continue to be used in film and television productions to the present day.
Note: From a German version of Wikipedia.
