Biography
Felix Bernard, the composer chiefly remembered for the enduring holiday favorite "Winter Wonderland," entered the world in Brooklyn, NY, in 1897. His violinist father worked professionally in music, prompting the younger Bernard to study piano before he launched a vaudeville career that featured his skills as a tap dancer. The breakthrough of his songwriting career arrived in 1919 with "Dardanella," whose music he created alongside Johnny S. Black while Fred Fisher supplied the lyrics; researchers have identified bandleader Ben Selvin’s version of the song as likely the earliest recording to surpass one million sales. Only in 1934 did Bernard collaborate with lyricist Dick Smith on "Winter Wonderland," which Guy Lombardo promptly turned into a seasonal success. From the middle of the 1930s through the early 1940s, Bernard contributed material to numerous motion pictures, partnering at various times with L. Wolfe Gilbert, Alfred Bryan, Paul Francis Webster, Raymond Klages, and Irving Bibo. He died in 1944, just before Perry Como and the Andrews Sisters each released widely embraced renditions of "Winter Wonderland" that cemented the song’s place among Christmas standards.
Singles
