Indelible Lines

I honestly didn't know Johnny Mercer wrote "Early Autumn," which has the most haunting melody and incredible lyrics of any song I know. I've loved it for a very long time, yet don't have it anywhere in my music collection. I seem to remember a Billy Eckstein rendition, but I know it's been recorded by many artists. Can anyone refresh my memory or make a suggestion?

(Yes. Try Carole Sloane's sumptuous version in her CD "The Real Thing:"

http://www.amazon.com/Real-Thing-Carol-Sloane/dp/B000000XAC

And the definitive vocal by Woody Herman:

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Woody-Herman/dp/B000000CXO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1254089672&sr=1-4

Ralph Burns wrote the music in the mid-1940s for Herman's First Herd as part of his suite "Summer Sequence" (Columbia). Mercer wrote the lyric years later and Herman recorded it for Capitol. -- DR)

Forgive me if I repeat information offered in some earlier post, but a month ago Knopf published The Complete Lyrics of Johnny Mercer, certainly a book to dip into for many years to come. And--echoing the words of another Mercer fan--"Skylark" for one soars up there among the Romantic poets.

Thanks for your Mercer columns, Doug -- that PBS show was sure an eye-ear opener for me. Much as I've loved so many of Mercer's songs (including the Lil Abner cast recording) since childhood, I never realized he was responsible for all of them. Such scope! Mastery of American vernacular! Wit! Who's the likes of this now?