Did you ever wonder for whom the classic song 

"Stella by Starlight"

was written?

"Stella by Starlight"  is one of the most popular standards, ranked number 10 by the website jazzstandards.com yet when written it was an instrumental theme for the 1944 Paramount  film, The Uninvited. it wasn’t until 1946 that Ned Washington wrote the lyrics. From that time till the present Stella by Starlight hasn’t been associated with any person until March 21, 2018.

A 1947 recording by Harry James and his orchestra was the first to hit pop charts. Two months later, the recording by Frank Sinatra  also rose to the top of the charts. Alto saxophonist Charlie Parker accompanied by a large studio orchestra including strings made the first jazz recording of the song in January 1952. This was followed by a recording by tenor saxophonist Stan Getz in December 1952, trumpeter Chet Baker in 1954. a piano version by Bud Powell, and a rendition by the big band of Stan Kenton, featuring bass trombonist George Roberts. Nat King Cole recorded a  version in a 1955 album. 

A recording by Miles Davis was included on his 1958 album Jazz Track. Davis revived the song in 1963 performing it live many times through 1965. Other jazz recordings have been made by Earl Grant, Joe Pass, Bill Evans, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Lou Donaldson Charlie Rouse and Dexter Gordon with vocal versions sung by Billy Eckstine, Dick Haymes, Ray Charles, Anita O'Day, Helen Reddy, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mathis, Italian singer Mina in 1964 and many others. Al Hirt released a version on his 1961 album, The Greatest Horn in the World. 

March 21, 2018 Along came Stella Estabrook who during the summer of 2020, tried to acquire the domaine name StellaByStarlight.com for herself, but it was unavailable.

Stella by Starlight by Johnny Mathis