Jerry Herst

Jerome Philip Herst (born May 28, 1909, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois; d. November 27, 1990, Alameda, California), known as Jerry Herst, was a lawyer and a songwriter best known for his collaborations with Jack Sharpe on a number of compositions, notably "So Rare", a much-recorded song that was published in 1937.

In 1909, was born in Chicago to Abraham and Dora Schwartz. On 24 December 1947 he married Jeannde Lucille Taylor.

His early education was in Townsend Hall in New York, followed by Western Military, in Alton Illinois. He attended college at Northwestern University and University of California, Berkeley. In 1934, he received his JD from University of California, Hastings College of Law, San Francisco. He studied music at the Conservatoire de Paris, and later studied composition privately with Joseph Schillinger, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Alexandre Tansman.

While in college and law school he performed as a radio and night club performer.

A version of his co-composition "So Rare" released by Jimmy Dorsey in 1957 was a #2 hit in the United States, but it has been recorded by numerous artists including Carl Ravell and his Orchestra (1937), Gus Arnheim and his Coconut Grove Orchestra (1937), Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians (1937), Andy Williams (1959), Ella Fitzgerald (1960) and Ray Conniff (1965).

Herst has five compositions listed at the performing rights organisation ASCAP, four of which are collaborations with Jack Sharpe. "So Rare", "World Stands Still" and "What Did You Do It For" are by Herst and Sharpe. "We'll Get A Bang Out Of Life" was written by Herst and Sharpe with the bandleader Anson Weeks and was recorded by Kay Kyser and His Orchestra (1938). A number of other compositions by Jerry Herst - including further collaborations with Jack Sharpe - are listed at the US Copyright Office.

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