Henry Nemo was an American songwriter, musician, and entertainer whose small but influential catalog produced several lasting jazz standards. Born in New York City around 1907, Nemo worked at the intersection of jazz, popular song, and stage performance, also appearing as an actor in Hollywood films including Song of the Thin Man. His most enduring compositions emerged in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He co-wrote I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart with Duke Ellington, contributed Don't Take Your Love From Me, recorded by Artie Shaw with Lena Horne, and composed 'Tis Autumn, first recorded by Les Brown and His Orchestra in 1941 and later given a definitive reading by the Nat King Cole Trio in 1949. 'Tis Autumn has remained a favorite among jazz vocalists and instrumentalists alike, its autumnal mood and elegant melody lending themselves to diverse interpretations by artists including Woody Herman and Benny Goodman. Nemo also led a 19-piece band in 1941 and provided incidental music for the 1959 Broadway production of The Andersonville Trial.
