Sid Tepper, the man who wrote more than 40 tracks for Elvis Presley, has died at his home in Florida aged 96, it’s been reported.
With his songwriting partner Roy Bennett, Tepper penned tracks including Once Is Enough, GI Blues, The Lady Loves Me, Puppet On A String and Stay Away for the King, while the duo received five credits of Presley’s 1961 film Blue Hawaii.
In a 2005 interview for the book Elvis Presley: Writing For The King by Ken Sharp, Tepper said: “When Elvis started to make movies, they needed non-rock n’ roll writers – people who could come up with special material songs and ballads.
“I believe that Elvis’ movies and their songs made a mighty contribution to his career. They brought him to the attention of millions of people who otherwise would never have known the greatness of the King.”
Tepper also worked with artists including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Peggy Lee and Louis Armstrong. The Beatles covered his track Glad All Over, which he co-wrote with Bennett and Aaron Schroeder for Carl Perkins in 1957.
Tepper retired to Florida after suffering a heart attack in the 70s and died on April 24 of natural causes at his home in Miami Beach.
