Fisher was born in Cologne, Germany, and immigrated to the United States in 1900. His first hit was "If the Man In the Moon Were a Coon", in 1906, which combined two then popular song themes, Moon songs and Coon songs. On a number of his tunes he collaborated with Alfred Bryan.
Fisher's hits included "Come Josephine In My Flying Machine", "Peg O' My Heart", "They Go Wild, Simply Wild, Over Me", "Dardanella", "Chicago", "Blues in the Night", and "Your Feet's Too Big".
Fred Fisher died in New York City. His sons Dan and Marvin and daughter Doris Fisher also wrote songs professionally.
The 1949 movie Oh You Beautiful Doll is a fictionalized Hollywood biography featuring many of his tunes.
Fred Fisher is an inductee in the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.