Dick Manning was a Russian-born American songwriter, best known for his many collaborations with Al Hoffman.
Background
Manning was born in Gomel, Belarus. Born into a theatrical family, he was taken to the USA when he was six years old, and studied at the Philadelphia Conservatory and Juilliard. A gifted pianist at an early age, he gave concerts and, later, served as an accompanist, arranger and music coach for singers, while working in theatre and television as an arranger and conductor.
Career
Manning was the co-writer of many popular songs, among them: "Takes Two to Tango," "Fascination", "Hot Diggity" and "Papa Loves Mambo." They were recorded by artists such as Perry Como, Sammy Kaye, Kate Smith and others; they have been published in 27 languages. He also composed The Boys From Boise, the first full-length television musical, which was presented on the DuMont Television Network in 1944, appearing earlier in that year on DuMont's Key-Bored Televisual Presentations as a pianist. Manning also was an arranger, vocal coach and wrote radio jingles.