Cecil Mack, born Richard Cecil McPherson on November 6, 1873, in Portsmouth, Virginia, was a pioneering African-American composer, lyricist, and music publisher. He attended Norfolk Mission College and Lincoln University in Pennsylvania before moving to New York City, where he initially worked as a stenographer. Mack began his songwriting career in 1901 with "Good Morning, Carrie" and subsequently co-founded the Gotham-Attucks Music Publishing Company in 1905, likely the first black-owned music publishing company.

Mack's career included writing lyrics for the 1907 musical "The Black Politician" and co-writing the book for the 1925 musical "Mooching Along." He also formed the Southland Singers choir in 1925. One of his most notable collaborations was with James P. Johnson on the Broadway musical "Runnin' Wild" in 1923, which featured the iconic song "Charleston," a defining piece of the Jazz Age. Another enduring song from the show was "Old Fashioned Love."

Mack married Dr. Gertrude Curtis, a pioneering African-American dentist, in 1912. The couple had no children and remained together until Mack's death on August 1, 1944, in Manhattan, New York. His contributions to American music were celebrated for their fun and wholesome character, with his works being compared to those of Stephen Foster and noted for their representation of the pre-radio era.