Bernie Hanighen

Bernie Hanighen is the songwriter who collaborated with Clarence Williams to transform Thelonious Monk's bop masterpiece "'Round About Midnight" into "'Round Midnight," a ballad standard in the vocal repertory for years. His first big hit, "When a Woman Loves a Man" with Gordon Jenkins, came in 1934. Three years later, Bing Crosby made the Hanighen-Johnny Mercer composition "Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight)" a success. In 1944, he added a set of remarkably sympathetic lyrics to Clarence Williams' tune, and the song was added to the vocal canon thanks to performances by Mel Tormé, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, Chris Connor, and Julie London.