George David Weiss

George David Weiss (9 April 1921 to 23 August 2010) was an American songwriter and arranger. Having first planned a career in law or accountancy, he followed his love of music to the Juilliard School and developed his skills in writing and arranging, then worked as an arranger for big bands including those of Stan Kenton, Vincent Lopez and Johnny Richards. He was a prolific songwriter from the 1940s to the 1960s and wrote most of his best known songs with Bennie Benjamin. He supplied lyrics for the jazz standard Lullaby of Birdland and for The Lion Sleeps Tonight. He served as president of the Songwriters Guild of America and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984.