Sam H. Stept
Sam H. Stept was a notable American songwriter, born Samuel Howard Stept on September 18, 1897, in Odessa, Ukraine. His family emigrated to the United States when he was three, and he grew up in Pittsburgh. Stept's career in music began as a staff pianist for a local publishing house, and he later worked as an accompanist in vaudeville, collaborating with performers like Anna Chandler, Mae West, and Jack Norworth.
In the early 1920s, Stept lived in Cleveland, Ohio, where he led a dance band. He soon began a fruitful songwriting partnership with lyricist Bud Green, producing their first hit, "That's My Weakness Now," in 1928, performed by Helen Kane. Throughout his career, Stept collaborated with various lyricists, including Sidney Mitchell, Ned Washington, Lew Brown, Charles Tobias, and Eddie DeLange.
Stept composed numerous popular songs for Hollywood films, such as "Laughing Irish Eyes" (1936), "Sweet Hearts" (1937), and "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" (1942). He also contributed to Broadway, writing for shows like "Yokel Boy" (1939) and "Michael Todd's Peep Show" (1950). By the late 1940s, Stept's focus shifted to his music-publishing business, and his songwriting output decreased.
His compositions were recorded by many prominent artists, including Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Glenn Miller, Fats Waller, and Louis Armstrong. Sam H. Stept passed away on December 1, 1964, in Los Angeles, California, leaving behind a legacy of classic pop standards.
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