Savannah, Georgia – Today is Johnny Mercer’s birthday, so let’s take a look at Johnny Mercer House. The famous songwriter, lyricist and record label executive spent his childhood years in this Savannah home.
Several generations of the Mercer family lived in Savannah. One house that is often said to be Johnny Mercer’s House is below. It’s the most famous house in Savannah, The Mercer Williams House. Did the Mercer family ever live here? No. The house was started in 1860 for Johnny Mercer’s great-grandfather, but not completed for 10 years due to the Civil War. The house was completed by other owners. Johnny Mercer never lived at the Mercer-Williams House.
Johnny Mercer had an amazing career. He wrote over 1,700 songs and won 4 Academy Awards for songs he wrote for movies. He also co-founded Capitol Records in 1942. Later in his career, he wrote “Moon River”, the title song for the popular movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Mercer lived in California for years, but kept strong ties to his Georgia home. One account I read said he’d have camellias from his yard shipped to California for his enjoyment.
The family had a second home on Burnside Island, and Johnny Mercer spent summers there as a child. Later in life he would purchase the “Moon River” estate, and this was his Savannah home for about 25 years.
Mercer led an amazing life, and a marker in front of the house gives a great recap of his achievements.
One last look at the boyhood home of Johnny Mercer. Just goes to show, old houses all have stories to share! I
Today, his legacy lives on with the Johnny Mercer Foundation. Thanks so much for reading the blog today as we celebrate Johnny Mercer’s birthday.