11 – TIN PAN ALLEY
Before the formation of Tin Pan Alley at the turn of the century, composing as a business can be traced back to the overwhelming success of Stephen Foster whose charming, colourful plantation songs depicting an idealized "Gallant South" were all the rage in the mid 1800's. By 1879, the groundwork for what would evolve into the Tin Pan Alley songwriting district was being established when Frank Harding began publishing popular songs from his family's publishing firm in New York City. Other pioneer song publishers previous to the turn of the century included T. B. Harms and The Witmark Brothers.
By the beginning of the often romanticized Gay Nineties, sentimentality was at its peak and the patriotic music of "The March King," John Philip Sousa had taken the world by storm. In 1892, a man named Chas K. Harris toyed with the idea of composing "songs made to order," a concept which would later be expanded upon and defined by the writers of Tin Pan Alley.
- Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826 - Jan. 13, 1864)
- Composer/pianist born in Lawrenceville, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- Influenced by negro spirituals, he later had great success with his "plantation songs" about a fictionalized South. Foster actually preferred to call them "Ethiopian songs."
- April 1, 1841 - His first piece of music, "The Tioga Waltz" was performed.
- 1844 - His first published song, "Open Thy Lattice Love," lyrics by George P. Morris was dedicated to his lifelong friend Susan Pentland.
- Within a year of its publication, his stirring "Oh Susannah" became the anthem of "the forty-niners" on their way to California during the goldrush.
- 1850 - Married Jane McDowell, a doctor's daughter. The marriage suffered several separations when his drinking became uncontrollable.
- With the help of Edwin P. Christy and The Virginia Christy Minstrels, his songs became the mainstay of all minstrel shows (see Vaudeville, Music Hall And Cabaret).
- By 1852, his "The Old Folks At Home" had sold over 40,000 copies of sheet music.
- The voice of his times, his music was catchy, quirky and often extremely sentimental.
- Constantly cheated out of money, his great talent did not make him a rich man.
- His songs will forever be connected with the old South and the westward expansion of America.
- Jan. 13, 1864 - Died at Belleview Hospital in New York City after accidentally slashing his throat.
- 1890 - Foster's songs were some of the first to be recorded on Edison's cylinders.
- 1952 - A rather fictionalized film biography titled "I Dream Of Jeanie" starred Ray Middleton.
- His many songs include "Oh Susannah"(1844), "De Camptown Races" (1850), "Nelly Bly"(1850), "The Old Folks At Home"(1851), "My Old Kentucky Home"(1852), "Massa's In De Cold Ground"(1852), "Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair"(1854), "Old Black Joe"(1860) and "Beautiful Dreamer"(1864).
- (Nov. 6, 1854 - March 5, 1932)
- Composer/violinist/bandleader born in Washington, D.C.
- 1873 - Wrote his first marches, "Review" and "Salutation."
- 1876 - Played violin in an orchestra conducted by Jacques Offenbach.
- 1880 - Became musical director for The United States Marine Band.
- 1882 - Formed Sousa's New Marine Band.
- 1888 - Wrote "Semper Fideles" (the motto of the marines).
- 1889 - Wrote "The Washington Post March." Recorded by Columbia in 1890, it is the earliest known cylinder of The United States Marine Band in existence.
- 1896 - Wrote his two greatest marches, "El Capitan" and "The Stars And Stripes Forever."
- April 21, 1899 - Debuted his "Hands Across The Sea" at The Academy Of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- 1900-1904 - Toured Europe four times.
- Became known as "The March King."
- During World War One, became the director of all America's navy bands.
- Famous for his trademark pointed beard, gold braided tunic and white kid gloves, Sousa was quite a showman.
- 1928 - Published his autobiography, "Marching Along."
- March 5, 1932 - Died of a heart attack in Reading, Pennsylvania.
- 1952 - Portrayed by Clifton Webb in the film, "The Stars And Stripes Forever."
- Note: He did not write "The Caissons Go Rolling Along" as believed. Credit was later given to Edmund L. Gruber.
- Charles K. Harris (May 1, 1867 - Dec. 22, 1930)
- Composer/banjoist/publisher born in Poughkeepsie, New York.
- With Paul Dresser and Harry Von Tilzer, he was one of the founding fathers of Tin Pan Alley.
- Raised in Saginaw, Michigan and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- 1883 - Age 16, wrote "Since Maggie Learned To Skate."
- 1892 - Began the business of "songs written to order," now preferring to be known as Chas K. Harris.
- 1892 - Wrote and published the phenomenal "After The Ball." It was originally introduced in Milwaukee by Sam Doctor. Later, it was performed by J. Aldrich Libby in the revue, "A Trip To Chinatown." The song eventually sold over 5 million in sheet copies and was a hit for numerous other artists including Lillian Russell and George J. Gaskin.
- Harris moved his operations to the prominent entertainment centre at Union Square in New York City.
- Published his book, "How To Write A Popular Song."
- A great innovator of Tin Pan Alley, his other hits include "When The Sun Has Set," "Break The News To Mother"(1897) and "Hello Central Give Me Heaven"(1901).
- By the turn of the century, his songs had fallen out of fashion.
- Paul Dresier (April 21, 1857 - Jan. 30, 1906)
- Composer/singer/comic/journalist born in Terre Haute, Indiana.
- Along with Chas K. Harris and Harry Von Tilzer, he was one of the founding fathers of Tin Pan Alley.
- Brother of novelist Theodore Dreiser.
- Worked in minstrel and medicine shows after running away from home as a boy.
- During the 1880's, based himself in New York City.
- Appeared in vaudeville as a comic and a singer.
- 1884 - Published his first song, "Wide Wings."
- 1886 - Had his first hit with "The Letter That Never Came."
- Greatest songs include "On The Banks Of The Wabash"(1897) and "My Gal Sal"(1909).
- Jan. 30, 1906 - Dresser died penniless before "My Gal Sal" became a huge hit.
- 1942 - Portrayed by Victor Mature in the biopic, "My Gal Sal."
- (July 8, 1872 - Jan. 10, 1946)
- Composer/pianist/comic born in Detroit, Michigan.
- With Chas K. Harris and Paul Dresser, he was one of the founding fathers of Tin Pan Alley.
- Brother of successful songwriters Albert (March 29, 1878 - Oct. 1, 1956) and Will Von Tilzer. Albert was famous for his great hit, "Take Me Out To The Ball Game"(1908).
- 1886 - Age 14, became a circus tumbler, later working in vaudeville and burlesque.
- Formed a comedy act with George Sidney called The Humourous Germans.
- 1892 - Had his first hit with "I Love You Both."
- 1898 - In New York City, his great hits were "My Old New Hampshire Home" and "I'd Leave My Happy Home For You."
- 1898 - Became a partner of music publishers Shapiro & Bernstein.
- 1900 - Published his greatest success to date, "A Bird In A Gilded Cage."
- 1902 - Established his own publishing firm, publishing the early songs of Irving Berlin and George Gershwin.
- Became the most successful songwriter of the first ten years of the century.
- Von Tilzer claimed that the phrase Tin Pan Alley was coined by him.
- Von Tilzer wound strips of paper through his piano strings to produce a jangling honky-tonk effect, later much copied.
- By the 1920's, his music was clearly out of style.
- Jan. 18, 1946 - Died in New York City.
- Other songs include "Down Where The Wurzburger Flows"(1902), "Wait Till The Sun Shines Nellie"(1906), "I Want A Girl Just Like The Girl That Married Dear Old Dad"(1911), "Row, Row, Row"(1912) and "Just Around The Corner"(1925).
Between 1880 and 1910, Europeans flocked to America in droves. For many Jews, America, the so-called "Promised Land" offered few improvements. Often treated as harshly as blacks, they too formed their own tight communities and by the turn of the century, for those with talent, music was one of the few ways out.
Prior to 1900, a group of songwriters, the great majority being Jewish, formed a club situated at 28th Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway in New York City. This clique was a way to unify established commercial composers, mainly as an avenue to help promote their songs. It later moved to 46th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue where it came to be known as Tin Pan Alley. Soon after radio came into power in the 1920's, it moved to 52nd Street and Madison Avenue.
It was said that songwriter/journalist Monroe H. Rosenfield heard the sound of Harry Von Tilzer playing his upright piano, later writing in a 1903 article that it sounded like the clatter of kitchen pots and pans, hence the name Tin Pan Alley. Von Tilzer had wound strips of paper through his piano strings to produce a desired honky-tonk effect. The rollicking style caught on especially with the song pluggers. Another romantic notion stated that the neighbours complained because there were so many pianos tinkling at once on one block that the racket caused them to baptize the area Tin Pan Alley.
Songs were written, showcased, sold and popularized through assembly line songwriters and song pluggers. Many early composers were unable to read music nor were they accomplished enough vocalists to properly promote their songs, so singing pianists were hired to plug the best songs to established performers for the express purpose of getting exposure for the material. These song pluggers or demonstrators were often called boomers or alleymen. Competition and rivalry for hits was intense and plugging became big business. So fierce was the competition that arrangements were sometimes given away free to major artists so that pit orchestras could play the songs immediately. Pluggers would often wine and dine the big stars in order to sell their current songs.
The seeds of Tin Pan Alley had been sown with the founding of such publishing firms as T. B. Harms (1881) and Witmark Brothers (1886). These firms were pioneers in the idea of issuing sheet music as a business.
By 1910, money was flooding in and Tin Pan Alley had become the songwriting centre of North America. Between 1900 and 1910, more than 100 songs had sold more than one million copies of sheet music. Britain's equivalent of Tin Pan Alley was situated at Denmark St. in London's West End.
Quite often, the pluggers were almost as well known as the composers. Coney Island began presenting a weekly song pluggers night and many top entertainers would attend just to hear one plugger after another pitching his latest batch of tunes. The best songs were snapped up immediately. In 1914, the flashy getups worn by the song pluggers, consisting of bowler hats and obnoxiously loud, skimpy suits, triggered new fashion trends. One snappy plugger named Mickey Addey started the fad for turtleneck sweaters.
Alleymen would often play piano at movie theatres between silent films while the lyrics to the latest songs were projected on the screen for audiences to sing along. One such plugger was the young George Gershwin.
Any method of selling songs was utilized to its greatest extent. If the great Al Jolson introduced a new song, he demanded co-writer status or at least his photograph on the sheet music cover.
Song trends varied. If a song about dreams became popular, writers immediately jumped on the bandwagon, searching their catalogues for another dream song with hit potential. Some of the successful dream songs included "Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland" (1910) and "Dreams Of Long Ago"(1912). Other trends featured car songs such as "In My Merry Oldsmobile"(1905), baseball songs like "Take Me Out To The Ballgame"(1908) and "The Grand Old Game Of Baseball"(1912) and songs about the South like "Swanee"(1919) and "Is It True What They Say About Dixie?"(1936). Trends were often influenced by newsworthy events such as the 1912 hit, "The Sinking Of The Titanic." Still other fads were heart songs like "Peg O' My Heart"(1913) and songs featuring girls' names like "Sweet Adeline" (1904)and "Sweet Sue"(1928).
At the beginning of World War One, American president Woodrow Wilson requested that Tin Pan Alley composers create positive patriotic songs to boost morale. Some of the greatest hits in that particular vein were "Sister Susie Sewing Shirts For Soldiers" (1915) by R. P. Weston and Herman E. Darewski, "Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag"(1915) by F. Powell and G. Powell, "Keep The Home Fires Burning"(1916) by Lena Guilbert Ford and Ivor Novello and "Over There"(1917) by the inimitable George M. Cohan.
In the early part of the century, sheet music sales were the main criteria for a song's success. During 1917 alone, over two billion copies of sheet music were sold. Later in the 1920's, record sales meant bigger profits for songwriters. And after the release of "The Jazz Singer" in 1927, the first commercial moving picture to incorporate sound, it became evident that music especially written for films including theme songs, special material and film scores meant even greater rewards for composers (see The Musical - Stage And Film).
In 1914, Tin Pan Alley allied to form The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (A.S.C.A.P.), but it was not until the 1920's that it began operating a licensing agency for the works of its members. It served as a watchdog for royalties and plagiarism. A.S.C.A.P. was a monopoly of sophisticated composers only. Independent writers, country and black writers were fair game for exploitation and were for the most part ignorant of royalties.
In 1941, radio stations organized their own performing rights society to rival A.S.C.A.P. called Broadcast Music Incorporated (B.M.I.). Rivalry was fierce. A.S.C.A.P. collected royalties only on live performances but B.M.I. collected royalties on both live performances and recorded performances on radio. Consequently, other non mainstream music forms such as country and later R&B and Rock And Roll found more acceptance at the B.M.I. stable. B.M.I. swelled with new writers and the A.S.C.A.P. monopoly was broken. That very same year, Tin Pan Alley crumbled, no longer the all powerful element on the popular music scene. Thus, many other diverse music styles began to prosper, especially country and western and black oriented music. Song pluggers were no longer needed since many of the new artists were capable of writing and promoting their own product. In the late 1950's, writers of the famous Brill Building would go on to achieve almost as much notoriety as Tin Pan Alley, using much of the same format and promotional tactics for the new pop/rock market.
PLAGIARISM - Using melodies or lyrics from copyrighted sources.
TUNE LIFTING - Using melodies from public domain (usually classical) and adding more current lyrics.
- George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878 - Nov. 5, 1942)
- Singer/songwriter/actor/producer/musical comedy pioneer born in Providence, Rhode Island.
- Claimed to be born on the 4th of July.
- 1888 - Age 10, began performing in vaudeville with his parents and his sister Josephine as The Four Cohans.
- On the circuit, he became known as "Master Georgie."
- 1891 - Age 13, started writing songs and short sketches.
- Became famous for his closing line - "My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you and I thank you."
- 1897 - Wrote "You're Growing Cold Cold Cold."
- 1898 - His first commercial success was "I Guess I'll Have To Telephone My Baby."
- 1901 - His songs and sketches began evolving into mini-musicals.
- 1904 - Joined forces with producer Sam H. Harris to produce the first full fledged Cohan musical, "Little Johnny Jones." The 3 big songs were "Life's A Funny Proposition," "Yankee Doodle Boy" and "Give My Regards To Broadway."
- 1906 - His next big success, "Forty Five Minutes From Broadway" featured the hits, "Mary's A Grand Old Name" and "So Long Mary."
- 1907 - Next came "George Washington Jr." featuring the rousing, "You're A Grand Old Flag" (originally titled "You're A Grand Old Rag").
- By 1910, Cohan was one of the richest, most powerful figures on Broadway. He had revolutionized musicals and popular songwriting by promoting the use of contemporary dialogue, giving his material a strong American identity (see The Musical - Stage And Film).
- 1917 - He wrote the most inspirational song of World War One, "Over There"(Nov., 1917)#1-3 wks., popularized and recorded by Nora Bayes.
- 1922 - His big show was "Little Nellie Kelly."
- 1937 - Starred as Franklin Delano Roosevelt in George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's "I'd Rather Be Rich."
- 1939 - Congress awarded him a special Medal Of Honour for composing patriotic songs.
- During his career, he published over 500 songs and directed some 40 plays.
- 1942 - James Cagney starred as Cohan in the film biography, "Yankee Doodle Dandy."
- 1959 - A statue of Cohan was erected on Broadway.
- Jerome David Kern (Jan. 27, 1885 - Nov. 11, 1945)
- Composer/pianist born in New York City.
- Son of a piano salesman.
- Graduated from The New York College Of Music where he studied piano and theory.
- Began writing songs in England.
- 1904 - After returning to America, worked as a song plugger and sheet music salesman, sometimes writing stock numbers.
- 1905 - His first hit, "How'd You Like To Spoon With Me" was heard in the Broadway musical, "The Earl And The Girl."
- Between 1905 and 1912, over 100 of Kern's songs were heard in some 30 Broadway musicals.
- 1914 - His biggest hit to date was "They Didn't Believe Me" from "The Girl From Utah."
- 1920 - Teamed with Buddy DeSylva to write the musical, "Sally," which starred Marilyn Miller and featured the hit song, "Look For The Silver Lining."
- Dec. 27, 1927 - The classic American stage musical, "Showboat" debuted on Broadway. It was the result of the collaboration of Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. Produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, the show starred the wistful Helen Morgan as Julie. Its great songs included "Make Believe," "Bill," "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" and the unforgettable "Old Man River." "Showboat" was the first stage musical combining music with a dramatic plot. There were no skits or chorus line.
- Other notable Kern standards include "Why Was I Born?" from "Sweet Adeline"(1929) and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and "Yesterdays" from "Roberta"(1933).
- After 1934, Kern wrote exclusively for films including "Swingtime"(1936), "You Were Never Lovelier"(1942), "Cover Girl" (1944) and "Centennial Summer"(1946).
- Nov. 11, 1945 - Died of a heart attack in New York City.
- 1946 - Robert Walker portrayed Kern in the biopic, "Till The Clouds Roll By."
- Frederic Fischer (Sept. 30, 1875 - Jan. 14, 1942)
- Lyricist/composer born in Cologne, Germany.
- 1900 - Moved to Chicago, Illinois where he began studying piano and composing.
- Later, moved to New York City where he obtained a desk job at Tin Pan Alley.
- He was soon churning out hits such as "Come Josephine In My Flying Machine"(1910), "Peg O' My Heart"(1913), "There's A Broken Heart For Every Light On Broadway"(1916) and "They Go Wild Simply Wild Over Me"(1917).
- 1919 - Wrote the lyrics to Felix Bernard and Johnny S. Black's "Dardanella." It had originally been titled "Turkish Tom Toms." The song became a multi-million seller for Ben Selvin's Orchestra in 1920 (see The Jazz Age).
- During the 1920's, his career waned except for the incredibly popular "Chicago" which was a #5 hit for bandleader Ben Selvin in Nov., 1922. It also became associated with vaudevillian Blossom Seeley.
- 1940 - Composed "Whispering Grass" with his daughter Doris Fisher (1915 – ).
- 1949 - Portrayed by S. Z. Sakall in the film, "Oh You Beautiful Doll."
- (1892 - 1962)
- Composer/pianist from Atlantic City, New Jersey.
- Moved to New York City, working as an arranger in Tin Pan Alley and playing piano at The Garden Cafe in the evenings.
- Hit songs include "On The Mississippi"(1912), "By The Beautiful Sea"(1914) and "Trail Of The Lonesome Pine"(1914).
- 1918 - His huge hit, "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" was featured in the Broadway musical, "Oh Look." A classic case of tune lifting, the melody of its chorus was taken from Chopin's "Fantaisie-Impromptu In C-Sharp Minor."
- After "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," he faded into obscurity.
- (Nov. 6, 1886 - Oct. 8, 1941)
- Lyricist/author born in Koblenz, Germany.
- 1891 - Age 5, moved to Chicago, Illinois.
- 1907 - Published his first song.
- With his wife Grace LeBoy, he wrote the wistful "I Wish I Had A Girl" which was made popular by Billy Murray in 1909.
- With composer Egbert Van Alstyne, he wrote "Memories"(1915) and "I'll See You In My Dreams"(1925).
- 1916 - With Egbert Van Alstyne and Tony Jackson, he wrote the massive hit, "Pretty Baby."
- 1923 - With Ernie Erdman and Dan Russo, he wrote "Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye," which became one of Al Jolson's staples.
- With Walter Donaldson, he wrote "Yes Sir That's My Baby"(1922) and "Carolina In The Morning"(1925).
- 1928 - With Donaldson, wrote the complete score for the Broadway show, "Whoopee" which featured the hits, "Makin' Whoopee" and "Love Me Or Leave Me." The show starred Eddie Cantor and Ruth Etting.
- Other hits include "Swinging Down The Lane," "Collegiate," "That Certain Party" and "The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else."
- 1951 - Kahn and LeBoy were portrayed by Danny Thomas and Doris Day in the biopic, "I'll See You In My Dreams."
- Harry Ruby (Harry Rubenstein) (Jan. 27, 1895 - Feb. 23, 1974)
- Songwriter/screenwriter/pianist born in New York's East Side.
- Began as a song plugger in Tin Pan Alley with Harry Cohn (later, the head of Columbia Pictures).
- Bert Kalmar (Feb. 16, 1884 - Sept. 18, 1947)
- Lyricist/librettist/screenwriter born in New York City.
- Vaudevillian/magician who later formed a dance team with his wife, Jessie Brown Kalmar.
- 1911 - Kalmar established his own publishing firm with vaudevillian Harry Puck.
- 1916 - Ruby and Kalmar's first hit together was "He Sits Around."
- 1921 - Wrote their first Broadway score, "Helen Of Troy, N.Y."
- Their many hits include "So Long Oo Long"(1920), "All Alone Monday"(1926), "Thinking Of You"(1927) and "Three Little Words" (1930).
- 1923 - With the help of Ted Snyder, they wrote "Who's Sorry Now."
- Nov., 1928 - Helen Kane's recording of Kalmar & Ruby's classic "I Wanna Be Loved By You" went to #2-2 wks. The song, with its "boop-oop-a-doop" catch phrase became Kane's theme song and the signature of the Betty Boop cartoon character.
- In the 1940's, the partnership broke up.
- 1950 - A biopic titled "Three Little Words" chronicled the careers of Kalmar & Ruby. It starred Fred Astaire and Red Skelton.
- (Sept. 27, 1898 - April 5, 1946)
- Composer/producer born in New York City.
- Nicknamed "Millie."
- 1916 - Began as a piano demonstrator for J. H. Remick Publishing.
- During World War One, he served in the navy.
- 1921 - With Ira Gershwin and Paul Lannin, wrote the Broadway musical, "Two Little Girls In Blue" featuring the hit, "Oh Me, Oh My."
- 1923 - With Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein, wrote the Broadway musical, "Wildflower" featuring "Bambalina."
- Most of his songs were collaborations with lyricists Irving Caesar and/or Otto Harbach.
- 1925 - With Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach, wrote the score for the Broadway show, "No No Nanette" featuring the hits, "I Want To Be Happy," "No No Nanette" and the classic "Tea For Two."
- 1927 - His hit show, "Hit The Deck" yielded the popular songs, "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Hallelujah."
- After that, he experienced a series of Broadway flops yet the single hits continued including "Great Day"(1929), "More Than You Know"(1929), "Without A Song"(1929), "Time On My Hands"(1930) and "The Carioca"(1933).
- 1934 - Contracted tuberculosis.
- 1943 - Mounted the ill-received "The Vincent Youmans Ballet Revue."
- April 5, 1946 - Died in Denver, Colorado.
- Israel Baline (May 11, 1888 - Sept. 22, 1989)
- Composer/lyricist born in Temun, Russia.
- 1892 - Age 4, his family moved to The United States.
- Raised on Cherry Street in New York's Lower East Side.
- He couldn't read a note of music and could play piano only in one key (an unusual key - F sharp). He later had a special piano built with pedals in order to transpose the keys.
- It was said that he wrote a song a day. Over the years, more than 2,000 were published.
- 1907 - Published his first song, "Marie From Sunny Italy." The music was written by M. Nicholson. It earned him 37 cents.
- 1909 - His hit, "Yiddle On Your Fiddle" was popularized by singer/comedienne Fanny Brice.
- 1911 - Hits include "Everybody's Doin' It" and the classic "Alexander's Ragtime Band." The latter became one of the biggest songs in recording history and promoted the use of the term ragtime.
- 1912 - Formed the publishing company of Waterson, Berlin & Snyder. Their first 2 giant hits were Berlin's "When The Midnight Choo Choo Leaves For Alabam" and "When I Lost You."
- 1914 - His first full length stage musical, "Watch Your Step" featured the hit, "Play A Simple Melody."
- 1915 - Hits include "I Love A Piano" and "When I Leave The World Behind."
- 1919 - Formed his own publishing house, Irving Berlin Inc. His first 2 hits were "Mandy" and "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody."
- 1924 - Hits include "What'll I Do" and "All Alone."
- 1926 - Married Ellin MacKay in Manhattan. He wrote the phenomenal "Always" for his new bride.
- 1927 - Wrote the score for The Ziegfeld Follies.
- 1933 - Wrote the revue, "As Thousands Cheer." Songs included "Heat Wave" and "Suppertime," both hits for Ethel Waters.
- His seemingly endless list of hit songs includes "Remember" (1925), "Blue Skies"(1927), "How Deep Is The Ocean"(1932), "Easter Parade"(1933) (originally titled "Smile And Show Your Dimple"), "Cheek To Cheek"(1935) and "There's No Business Like Show business"(1946).
- His classic "God Bless America"(1938) was actually written during World War One for the 1918 revue, "Yip Yip Yaphank."
- Musicals include the Broadway production of "Annie Get Your Gun" (1946) and the movie musicals, "Holiday Inn"(1942), "Easter Parade"(1948), "Annie Get Your Gun"(1950), "Call Me Madam"(1953), "There's No Business Like Show business"(1954) and "White Christmas"(1954).
- His great holiday hit, "White Christmas" from "Holiday Inn," recorded by Bing Crosby, went to #1-11 wks. in Oct., 1942. It became the biggest selling record of all time, selling well over 30 million copies. It was later selected as a NARAS Hall Of Fame Recording.
- 1962 - His last Broadway show was "Mr. President."
- Spent the last few decades of his life in seclusion.
- Jacob Bruskin Gersshovitz (Sept. 26, 1898 - July 11, 1937)
- Composer/pianist born in Brooklyn, New York.
- Brother of lyricist Ira Gershwin (Israel Gershovitz) (Dec. 6, 1896 - Aug. 17, 1983).
- Of Russian descent, born into a poor family.
- 1910 - Age 12, began playing piano.
- 1913 - Began as a song plugger for J. H. Remick Publishing in Tin Pan Alley. He described his voice as "small but disagreeable."
- 1919 - His first Broadway musical was "La La Lucille."
- Early successes came about when he collaborated with lyricist Irving Caesar (1895 - Dec. 17, 1996). Their first hit was "Swanee" from the show, "Sinbad" starring Al Jolson. Written in 1919, it went to #1-9 wks. in May, 1920.
- Began collaborating with his brother Ira.
- 1920 - The Gershwins were recruited to write for The George White Scandals (Ziegfeld's greatest rival) for 5 consecutive years.
- 1924 - Wrote the songs for the show, "Lady Be Good" starring Fred and Adele Astaire. The big hits were "Fascinating Rhythm" and "Oh Lady Be Good." The classic "The Man I Love" was deleted since it was thought to lack appeal. Later popularized by Helen Morgan, it became a standard. After "Lady Be Good," Ira became his sole lyricist.
- Feb. 12, 1924 - Gershwin was teamed in concert with symphonic jazz bandleader Paul Whiteman at The Aeolian Hall in New York City for the debut of his classic "Rhapsody In Blue." The piece combined classical orchestration with jazz elements. In Oct., 1924, it went to #3 on the charts.
- Gershwin was the composer responsible for bringing to jazz and popular music in general, the discipline and structure of so-called serious music.
- Dec., 1925 - Performed his "Concerto In F" at Carnegie Hall.
- 1926 - The Gershwins wrote the score for "Oh Kay," starring Gertrude Lawrence. The hits included "Do Do Do" and "Someone To Watch Over Me."
- 1927 - Their big show was "Funny Face" starring Fred and Adele Astaire and featuring the hit song, "S'Wonderful."
- Dec. 13, 1928 - Debuted his "American In Paris"(June, 1929)#7 with The New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
- 1930 - His big box office success was "Girl Crazy" starring Ethel Merman and Ginger Rogers. Hits included "Embraceable You," "But Not For Me," "Bidin' My Time" and "I Got Rhythm."
- 1931 - His show, "Of Thee I Sing" became the first musical to earn a Pulitzer Prize.
- Fall, 1935 - Debuted his masterpiece, "Porgy And Bess." It boasted an all black cast and featured music with distinct jazz elements. Hit songs included "It Ain't Necessarily So," "I Got Plenty Of Nuttin'" and the glorious "Summertime."
- Other Gershwin standards include "Liza," "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "A Foggy Day," "I've Got A Crush On You" and "Our Love Is Here To Stay."
- July 11, 1937 - Died in Beverly Hills, California on the operating table of a brain tumor.
- After his death, Ira began collaborating with other writers including Vernon Duke, Kurt Weill, Harry Warren and Harold Arlen, retiring in the 1960's to oversee the Gershwin catalogue.
- Konrad A. Dobert (June 18, 1891 - Sept. 28, 1938)
- Lyricist born in New York's East Side.
- 1907 - Age 16, began appearing in vaudeville.
- 1912 - Came to Tin Pan Alley where his first song, "Down In Dear New Orleans" was published.
- Formed The Broadway Music Corporation with Henry Waterson.
- 1920 - With Benny Davis and J. Russel Robinson, he wrote the popular song, "Margie" which Eddie Cantor took to #1-5 wks. in Feb., 1921.
- 1929 - William Fox brought him to Hollywood to write for the talkies.
- 1934 - With Herb Magidson, composed "The Continental." It was featured in the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film, "The Gay Divorcee" and received the first Oscar ever awarded to a song.
- Other hits include "Ma, He's Makin' Eyes At Me"(1922) with Sidney Clare, "Barney Google"(1923) with Billy Rose, "Memory Lane"(1924) with Buddy DeSylva and Larry Spier and "Prisoner Of Love"(1931).
- (June 9, 1892 - Oct. 15, 1964)
- Composer/lyricist born in Peru, Indiana.
- One of the few non Jewish composers of the period.
- Porter came from a very wealthy family and his mother nurtured his considerable talents.
- 1902 - Age 10, composed his first song.
- Between 1909 and 1913, he attended Yale where he led the glee club and wrote special songs for college shows.
- 1916 - His first Broadway show, "See America First" was a fiasco.
- After serving in the military during World War One, he remained in France where his chic parties were the toast of the social season. Porter composed several smart songs especially for these affairs.
- 1919 - Contributed songs for the revue, "Hitchy-Koo."
- Dec. 18, 1919 - Although gay, he married socialite Linda Thomas in a marriage of convenience.
- Witty, charming and highbrow, his music was aimed specifically at the upper classes. His lyrics typified the late 1920's and early 1930's sophisticate.
- Porter was one of the few composers who wrote both lyrics and melody.
- 1928 - Composed the songs for the Broadway show, "Paris" starring Irene Bordoni. Hits included "Let's Do It," "Let's Misbehave" and "You Do Something To Me."
- His next two great hits were "What Is This Thing Called Love?" from "Wake Up And Dream"(1929) and "Love For Sale" from "The New Yorkers"(1930).
- 1932 - His big success was "Night And Day" from "The Gay Divorce" (later changed to "The Gay Divorcee" in the 1934 film version).
- 1934 - His Broadway show, "Anything Goes" provided its leading lady Ethel Merman with several hit songs including "I Get A Kick Out Of You," "You're The Top," "Blow Gabriel Blow" and the title tune.
- Oct., 1937 - During a horse riding accident, both of his legs were crushed.
- 1938 - His Broadway show, "Leave It To Me" featured Sophie Tucker singing "Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love" and Mary Martin singing the charming "My Heart Belongs To Daddy."
- 1939 - His Broadway show, "Du Barry Was A Lady" featured the hits, "Friendship" and "Well, Did You Evah?"
- 1948 - His landmark musical, "Kiss Me Kate" featured the hits, "So In Love," "Always True To You In My Fashion" and "Too Darn Hot."
- Other great Porter hits include "Begin The Beguine"(1935), "I've Got You Under My Skin"(1936), "In The Still Of The Night"(1936), "Don't Fence Me In"(1944), "I Love Paris"(1953) and "All Of You" (1955).
- 1956 - After the death of his wife, he spent the rest of his life in seclusion.
- 1958 - He gave in to the amputation of his right leg. After that, his desire to write died.
- Oct. 15, 1964 - Died in Santa Monica, California after being admitted to hospital for the removal of a kidney stone.
- One of the most popular writing teams of the 1920's.
- Buddy DeSylva (George Gard DeSylva) (Jan. 27, 1896 - July 11, 1950)
- Lyricist/producer born in New York City.
- Lew Brown (Louis Brownstein) (Dec. 10, 1893 - Feb. 5, 1958)
- Lyricist born in Odessa, Russia.
- Ray Henderson (Raymond Brost) (Dec. 1, 1896 - Dec. 31, 1971)
- Composer/pianist born in Buffalo, New York.
- All three collaborated as a unit, also writing separately with other partners.
- 1925 - Joined forces for the first time to write "It All Depends On You" for the show, "Big Boy" starring Al Jolson.
- 1925, 1926 & 1928 - Wrote the songs for "The George White Scandals" (there was no 1927 edition). Hit songs from these shows include "The Black Bottom"(1926), "Lucky Day"(1926), "The Girl Is You"(1926), "Birth Of The Blues"(1926) and "I'm On The Crest Of A Wave"(1928).
- 1927 - Wrote the songs for the musical, "Good News" which featured the hits, "The Varsity Drag," "Lucky In Love" and "The Best Things In Life Are Free."
- Other hits include "Button Up Your Overcoat"(1929), "Sunny Side Up"(1929) and "If I Had A Talking Picture Of You"(1929).
- 1931 - DeSylva exited to work in Hollywood. He produced 5 Shirley Temple films and later became production head at Paramount.
- 1942 - DeSylva, along with songwriter Johnny Mercer and record store owner Glenn Wallichs founded Capitol Records in Los Angeles, California.
- Henderson and Brown hits include "This Is The Missus" and "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries."
- Jack Yellen (July 6, 1892 - April 17, 1991)
- Lyricist born in Poland.
- 1897 - Moved to America.
- Milton Ager (Oct. 6, 1893 - April 6, 1979)
- Songwriter born in Chicago, Illinois.
- Ager began as a songplugger/arranger for Irving Berlin and Walter Donaldson.
- After World War One, the two formed a songwriting partnership in New York City.
- Songs together include "Hard Hearted Hannah"(1924), "Ain't She Sweet"(1927) and "Happy Feet"(1930).
- 1929 - Their song, "Happy Days Are Here Again" became one of the most popular songs of the Depression, later being adopted by Franklin D. Roosevelt as his campaign song.
- 1929 - Composed the score for the Sophie Tucker film, "Honky Tonk."
- After selling their publishing company to Warner Brothers, the two retired.
- Hoagland Howard Carmichael (Nov. 22, 1899 - Dec. 27, 1981)
- Singer/songwriter/pianist/actor born in Bloomington, Indiana.
- Taught to play piano by his mother.
- During the 1920's, began writing songs while playing piano in several jazz bands.
- 1924 - He wrote "Free Wheeling," which was recorded by The Wolverines. In 1939, Dick Voynow, Irving Mills and Mitchell Parish wrote lyrics to it and retitled it "Riverboat Shuffle."
- 1925 - Wrote "Washboard Blues," which became a hit for Red Nichols And His Five Pennies (April, 1927)#13.
- During the late 1920's, he returned to Bloomington where he worked as a piano demonstrator for a local branch of a Tin Pan Alley firm.
- 1929 - Composed his classic "Star Dust," originally as an instrumental. Later, Mitchell Parish contributed lyrics. Recorded for the first time by Irving Mills And His Hotsy Totsy Band, it went to #20 in Jan., 1930. Since then, it has been a hit many times over.
- 1932 - Began collaborating with Johnny Mercer.
- Jazz singer Mildred Bailey introduced several Carmichael gems including "Georgia On My Mind"(Jan., 1932)#19, "Lazy Bones"(Aug., 1933)#9 and her theme song, "Rockin' Chair"(June, 1937)#13. The latter had been recorded twice in 1932, first by The Mills Brothers and also by Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael.
- 1940 - Wrote the musical comedy, "Walk With Music."
- Film appearances include "To Have And Have Not"(1944), "The Stork Club"(1945), "The Best Years Of Our Lives"(1946) and "Young Man With A Horn"(1950).
- 1951 - Won an Oscar for his "In The Cool Cool Cool Of The Evening" from the film, "Here Comes The Groom."
- 1959-1962 - Appeared in the TV series, "Laramie."
- Dec. 27, 1981 - Died in Palm Springs, California.
- Other hits include "Lazy River"(1931), "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief"(1946) and "Ole Buttermilk Sky"(1946).
- Memoirs include "The Stardust Road"(1946) and "Sometimes I Wonder"(1965).
- Isidore Hochberg (April 8, 1896 - March 5, 1981)
- Lyricist/producer/director born in New York City.
- 1929 - After the Wall St. collapse, his electrician business failed and he began as a lyricist for the Earl Carrol and Ziegfeld shows.
- 1932 - Composed "Brother Can You Spare A Dime" for the show, "Americana." It was a #1 hit for Bing Crosby in Nov., 1932.
- 1933 - With Billy Rose and Harold Arlen, wrote "It's Only A Paper Moon."
- 1934 - Began scoring films for Universal then Warner Brothers.
- 1939 - With Harold Arlen and Roger Edens, wrote "God's Country" for the film, "Babes In Arms."
- 1939 - With Harold Arlen, he wrote the score for the movie, "The Wizard Of Oz," including the fabulous "Over The Rainbow."
- 1939 - With Arlen, wrote the humourous "Lydia The Tattooed Lady," introduced by Groucho Marx in "At The Circus."
- 1943 - With Arlen, composed "Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe" especially for Ethel Waters in the film version of "Cabin In The Sky."
- 1963 - With Arlen, composed "I Could Go On Singing" for the Judy Garland film of the same name.
- 1968 - After the death of Martin Luther King, he wrote "Silent Spring" with Harold Arlen.
- March 5, 1981 - Died in a car crash in Los Angeles, California.
- Hits include "What Wouldn't I Do For That Man"(1929) with Jay Gorney and "April In Paris"(1932).
- John Herndon Mercer (Nov. 18, 1909 - June 25, 1976)
- Singer/songwriter/lyricist/record mogul born in Savannah, Georgia.
- Lyricist for more popular songs than any other songwriter in history (over 1,000).
- Four time Oscar winner.
- 1928 - Moved to New York City to become an actor.
- 1932 - Sang with Paul Whiteman's Orchestra and began writing with Hoagy Carmichael.
- 1933 - Composed his first hit, "Lazy Bones" with Hoagy Carmichael.
- Sang with Benny Goodman.
- 1942 - Co-founded Capitol Records with Buddy DeSylva and Glenn Wallichs.
- Compositions include "I'm An Old Cowhand From The Rio Grande" (1936), "Too Marvellous For Words"(1937), "Hooray For Hollywood" (1938) (with Richard A. Whiting), "Blues In The Night"(1941) (with Harold Arlen), "Tangerine"(1942) (with Victor Schertzinger), "That Old Black Magic"(1942) (with Harold Arlen), "One For My Baby"(1943) (with Harold Arlen), the Oscar winning "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe"(1946) (with Harry Warren), the Oscar winning "In The Cool Cool Cool Of The Evening" (1951) (with Hoagy Carmichael), "Something's Gotta Give"(1955) (wrote both lyrics and melody), the Oscar winning "Moon River" (1961) (with Henry Mancini) and "Days Of Wine And Roses"(1962) (with Henry Mancini).
- Vocal hits include "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive"(Jan., 1945)#1- 2 wks., "Candy"(Feb., 1945)#1 (with Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers), "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe"(July, 1945) #1-8 wks., "Personality"(Jan., 1946)#1-2 wks. and "Winter Wonderland"(Jan., 1947)#4 (with The Pied Pipers).
- June 25, 1976 - Died in Los Angeles, California.
HAROLD ARLEN
- See The Musical - Stage And Film
- Samuel Feinberg (June 17, 1902 - Dec. 6, 1989)
- Composer/pianist born in New York City.
- Nicknamed "The Singing Composer."
- Worked as a song plugger for the Jack Mills firm and toured in vaudeville with Artie Dunn.
- 1925 - His first published song was "Nobody Knows What A Red-Headed Mama Can Do," written with Irving Mills and Al Dubin.
- 1927 - Formed a writing partnership with lyricist Irving Kahal (March 5, 1903 - Feb. 7, 1942). They worked together until Kahal's death.
- Hits include "Let A Smile Be Your Umbrella"(1929) with Irving Kahal and Francis Wheeling, "Wedding Bells Are Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine"(1929) with Irving Kahal and Willie Raskin, "When I Take My Sugar To Tea"(1931) with Irving Kahal and Norman Conner, "That Old Feeling"(1937) with Lew Brown, "I Can Dream, Can't I"(1938) and "I'll Be Seeing You"(1944).
- During his lifetime Fain received 10 Oscar nominations.
- 1953 - His "Secret Love," written with Paul Francis Webster won an Oscar. Featured in the Doris Day film, "Calamity Jane," it went to #1-4 wks. in Jan., 1954.
- 1955 - His "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing," written with Paul Francis Webster won the Oscar for best song. It was featured in the film of the same name.
- Dec. 6, 1989 - Died in Los Angeles, California.
- His only charted hit as a performer was "Painting The Clouds With Sunshine"(Nov., 1929)#19.
- (1892 - 1953)
- American composer.
- Arranger for Waterson, Berlin & Snyder.
- 1920 - Had his first hit as a writer with "My Mammy's Arms," which he wrote with Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young.
- With Roy Turk, wrote the 2 great hits, "Mean To Me" and "I'll Get By"(1928).
- 1932 - Wrote "Where The Blue Of The Night Meets The Gold Of The Day." Bing Crosby had a #4 hit with it in Jan., 1932, later adopting it as his theme song.
- Other hits include "Walkin' My Baby Back Home"(1931) with Roy Turk and Harry Richman and "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter"(1935) with Joe Young.
ALSO SEE
- Chapter 12: The Musical - Stage And Film
- Chapter 20: The Brill Building
- Chapter 30: The Singer/Songwriter
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Coward, Noel. "A Last Encore." (Little, Brown & Company).
- Ewen, David. "All The Years Of American Popular Music." (Prentice - Hall).
- Farnsworth, Marjorie. "The Ziegfeld Follies." (Crown).
- Freedland, Michael. "Jolson." (Stein & Day).
- Hirschhorn, Clive. "The Hollywood Musical." (Octopus).
- Merman, Ethel with George Eells. "Merman - An Autobiography." (Simon & Schuster).
- Murrells, Joseph. "Million Selling Records." (Arco).
- Palmer, Tony. "All You Need Is Love." (The Macmillan Company).
- Simon, George T. & Friends. "The Best Of The Music Makers." (Doubleday & Co.).
- Smith, Joe. "Off The Record." (Warner Books).
- Solomon, Barbara H. "Ain't We Got Fun." (Mentor Books).
- Stern, Lee Edward. "The Movie Musical." (Pyramid Books).
- Vallance, Tom. "The American Musical." (Castle Books).
- Wenzel, Lynn & Carol J. Binkowski. "I Hear America Singing." (Crown).
- Whitburn, Joel. "Pop Memories 1890 - 1954." (Record Research).