Bart Howard, born Howard Joseph Gustafson on June 1, 1915, in Burlington, Iowa, was an influential American songwriter and pianist, best known for the jazz standard "Fly Me to the Moon." Raised in a musical family, Howard's parents both played piano, and his father also played guitar and mandolin. At 16, Howard left home to tour as a pianist with the conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton. He later moved to Los Angeles aiming to write songs for films and worked as an accompanist for female impersonator Ray Bourbon.

In 1937, Howard relocated to New York City, where he accompanied Elizabeth Talbot-Martin at the Rainbow Room and was introduced to Mabel Mercer, a collaboration that marked a significant period in his career. Howard served in the Army as a musician during World War II. Post-war, he became a prominent figure in New York's cabaret scene, notably working at The Blue Angel nightclub from 1951 to 1959, where he introduced talents like Eartha Kitt and Johnny Mathis.

Howard's songwriting career gained momentum when Rosemary Clooney recorded "On the First Warm Day" in 1952, and Lena Horne recorded "Let Me Love You" in 1955. His most famous composition, "Fly Me to the Moon," originally titled "In Other Words," was introduced by Felicia Sanders in 1954 and later popularized by artists like Frank Sinatra. The song's success provided Howard with significant financial stability.

Throughout his career, Howard composed numerous songs, including "My Love Is a Wanderer," "Year After Year," and "The Man in the Looking Glass," recorded by Sinatra. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999. Howard spent his later years with his long-time companion, Thomas Fowler, until his death on February 21, 2004, in Carmel, New York, from complications of a stroke.