Bob (Robert) Merrill was an American composer and lyricist. His most famous works included "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?"
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s Merrill was responsible for penning a whole string of chart hits including "Pittsburgh", "Pennsylvania", "Love Makes the World Go 'Round", "Sparrow in the Tree Top", "My Truly, Truly Fair", and "Mambo Italiano". The last of which in particular remains a favorite to this day.
Merrill later returned to Broadway to pen musicals. His first major musical success was New Girl in Town directed by George Abbott, which won a New York Drama Critic prize in 1964. His biggest hit was the Barbara Streisand vehicle Funny Girl, which spawned the enduring "Don't Rain on My Parade" and "People".
Merrill passed away in 1998.