Al Hoffman

Al Hoffman, born in Russia, became one of the most consistently successful American songwriters of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, landing number-one hits in each decade with a rotating set of co-writers. His novelty song 'Mairzy Doats' (1943) became enough of a cultural phenomenon that Time magazine wrote about the craze it set off, and his catalog was recorded by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Ella Fitzgerald and, decades later, sampled by Queen Latifah. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984.