Dick Manning

Russian-born American songwriter with several hit songs to his credit. His family came to America from Russia when he was six years old. A natural musician, he was trained at the Juilliard School in New York, where he grew up. As Sam Medoff, he formed a band called Sam Medoff and His Yiddish Swing Orchestra and worked extensively in radio. He changed his name to Dick Manning in 1948 as he was finding success as a songwriter. Among his hits (for singers such as Perry Como and Kate Smith) were "Papa Loves Mambo" and "Fascination." He also wrote symphonic music and worked briefly in television. He died in 1991 from complications of diabetes.