Arthur Altman; Wrote 400 Songs
Arthur Altman, who wrote the lyrics to “I Will Follow Him,” which was revived by Whoopi Goldberg in the film “Sister Act,” and the music to “All or Nothing At All,” Frank Sinatra’s first hit record, is dead.
A spokesman for the American Society of Composers Authors & Publishers said over the weekend that Altman, who wrote more than 400 songs, died in Lake Worth, Fla., of a heart ailment on Tuesday.
Altman, who joined ASCAP in 1934, wrote the lyrics for “I Will Follow Him” in the early 1960s. It became the No. 1 song in the country in 1963 after it was recorded by Brenda Lee. He also wrote another Lee hit, “All Alone Am I.”
Sinatra recorded “All or Nothing at All” shortly after joining the Tommy Dorsey band. More than 250 versions of the song have since been recorded.
A classical musician by training, Altman began his professional career as a violinist with the CBS Radio Orchestra.
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