Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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DeSYLVA, BROWN and HENDERSON

Legendary songwriting team of lyricists Buddy DeSylva (b George Gard DeSylva, 27 Jan. 1895, NYC; d 11 July '50, LA) and Lew Brown (b Louis Brownstein, 10 Dec. 1893, Odessa, Russia; d 5 Feb. '58, NYC); composer Ray Henderson (b 1 Dec. 1896, Buffalo, NY; d 31 Dec. '70, Greenwich CT). Brown's first hit was 'Give Me The Moonlight, Give Me The Girl' '17 with Albert Von Tilzer; Henderson wrote 'That Old Gang Of Mine' '23 with Billy Rose and Mort Dixon, 'Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue' and 'I'm Sitting On Top Of The World' with Sam Lewis and Joe Young, 'Don't Bring Lulu' with Rose and Brown, 'Alabamy Bound' '25 with DeSylva, whose first hit had been 'I'll Say She Does', written with Gus Kahn for Al Jolson show Sinbad '18. DeSylva also co-wrote Jolson hits 'April Showers' '21, 'California, Here I Come' '24; collaborated with George Gershwin ('Nobody But You', 'Stairway To Paradise'), Jerome Kern ('Look For The Silver Lining'), Victor Herbert ('A Kiss In The Dark'). The team came together writing George White's Scandals Of 1925; songs won work on the following year's edition: 'Birth Of The Blues' was smash hit, 'Black Bottom' became a dance craze. Started own publishing firm '26; wrote shows incl. songs 'Varsity Drag', 'The Best Things In Life Are Free' (title of '56 biopic), 'You're The Cream In My Coffee', 'Button Up Your Overcoat', 'My Lucky Star', many more. Also films: the story according to Eddie Cantor (quoted by David Ewen) is that they wrote 'corniest song they could dream up' as a joke for Jolson; he loved it, used it in talkie The Singing Fool '29: 'Sonny Boy' was one of his biggest; the '29 record reissued '46 allegedly sold a million. Same year Charles Farrell/Janet Gaynor hit movie had title song, 'I'm A Dreamer' and 'If I Had A Talking Picture'. DeSylva turned prod. '30; wrote music, words for 'Wishing', Vera Lynn hit '39; Henderson and Brown collaborated on several shows incl. Scandals Of 1931 ('Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries' for Ethel Merman). Brown went to Hollywood; Henderson worked with others e.g. on Curly Top, '35 Shirley Temple film. DeSylva was a co-founder of Capitol Records.