Bennie Benjamin

Who was Bennie Benjamin?

Claude A. Benjamin was a songwriter, often teaming with George David Weiss. He was born on November 4, 1907 in Christiansted on the island of St. Croix. At the age of twenty, he moved to New York City. There, he studied the banjo and guitar with Hy Smith. He then performed in vaudeville and with various orchestras, until, in 1941, he started composing songs.

In 1968, he became a music publisher, starting his own company named for himself. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984. He died in New York City on May 2, 1989.