Bud Green (19 November 1897 – 2 January 1981) was an American lyricist especially of Broadway musicals and show tunes

Early life and family

Green was born Moses David Green in the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with t ...

and immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

as an infant. Bud Green (Buddy) grew up in Harlem at 108th & Madison Avenue at the turn of the 20th century, the eldest of seven. He dropped out of elementary school to sell newspapers and help the family. While selling papers, he decided to become a songwriter and started keeping a notebook of poems and rhymes that he thought would be useful someday. His sister, Hannah, was married to the lyricist Bob Russell (1914–1970), who wrote "

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

", " Frenesi", " Don't Get Around Much Anymore", " He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" and many other songs.

Career

In his early career, he wrote material for

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic compositio ...

s. He was a staff writer for music publishers and wrote Broadway stage scores as well as songs for other musicals. By 1928, he had written " Alabamy Bound" and "

That's My Weakness Now "That's My Weakness Now" is a song written by Sam H. Stept and Bud Green (words and music) in 1928. This became their first hit song together, having been made popular by singer Helen Kane that same year. Another recording in 1928 was by Paul Whit ...

", which became a huge hit for

Ukulele Ike Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American singer, musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standar ...

and Helen Kane. Kane's version including the suggestive scat phrase "boop boop ba doo." This line and Kane's stage persona made the song synonymous with the flapper era. Kane and the song became the inspiration for the Betty Boop cartoons that debuted in 1930. The song was self-published by Green and Sam H. Stept. They were in the Brass Rail Building at 745, 7th Avenue. They then went to Hollywood to work for the movie industry. He and Stept eventually sold their company to Warner Bros. and returned to New York. He collaborated with many artists and fellow songwriters, including Les Brown,

Buddy DeSylva George Gard "Buddy" DeSylva (January 27, 1895 – July 11, 1950) was an American songwriter, film producer and record executive. He wrote or co-wrote many popular songs and, along with Johnny Mercer and Glenn Wallichs, he co-founded Capitol Rec ...

Al Dubin Alexander Dubin (June 10, 1891 – February 11, 1945) was an American lyricist. He is best known for his collaborations with the composer Harry Warren. Life Al Dubin came from a Russian Jewish family that emigrated to the United States from Swi ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, i ...

, Slim Gaillard,

Ray Henderson Ray Henderson (born Raymond Brost; December 1, 1896 – December 31, 1970) was an American songwriter. Early life Born in Buffalo, New York, United States, Henderson moved to New York City and became a popular composer in Tin Pan Alley. He was o ...

, Ben Homer, Raymond Scott, Sam H. Stept, and

Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...

Personal life

At 21, Bud Green married a girl from the

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Follies of the ...

, Nan Hinken, they were together until her death in the early 1960s. After selling his company, Green moved his family to

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York (state), New York, after New York City and Buffalo, New York, Buffalo. The popul ...

, where he lived the rest of his life commuting to NYC every day. They had two sons, both now deceased.

Death and legacy

Green died in Yonkers, New York, in January 1981.

Songs

Bud Green wrote or co-wrote a number of songs, including: *" Alabamy Bound" (

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

on '' Swingin' Down Yonder'', 1955;

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

on '' New Tricks'', 1957;

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

on '' The Genius Hits the Road'', 1960;

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in ...

on '' The Skiffle Sessions - Live in Belfast 1998'', 2000) *"

" ( Helen Kane, 1928) *"I Love My Baby" ( Ottilie Patterson, 1957) *"Oh Boy, What a Girl" *"In My Gondola" *"Away Down South in Heaven" *" I'll Always Be In Love With You" (

on '' Rhythm Is My Business'', 1962;) *"Do Something" *"Congratulations" *"Good Little, Bad Little You" *"My Mother's Evening Prayer" *"Simple and Sweet" *"Dream Sweetheart" *"Moonlight on the River" *"Swingy Little Thingy" *"Blue Fedora" *"More Than Ever" *"You Showed Me the Way" (Ella Fitzgerald;

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

;

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his bir ...

on '' Here's to the Ladies'', 1995) *"Tia Juana" *" Once in a While" *"The Man Who Comes Around" *"

Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy) "Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)" (also "The Flat Foot Floogee") is a 1938 jazz song, written by Slim Gaillard, Slam Stewart, and Bud Green, and performed by Gaillard and Stewart as Slim & Slam. "Flat Foot Floogie" was Slim & Slam's first a ...

" (

Mills Brothers The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies an ...

and Louis Armstrong;

Slam Stewart Leroy Eliot "Slam" Stewart (September 21, 1914December 10, 1987) was an American jazz double bass player, whose trademark style was his ability to bow the bass (arco) and simultaneously hum or sing an octave higher. He was a violinist before swi ...

, 1938) *" Sentimental Journey" (

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

and Les Brown's band, 1944) *"Speed Limit" *"Who Can Tell" *"All the Days of Our Years" *"My Number One Dream Came True" (Doris Day, 1946) *"On Account I Love You"

Awards

He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975.

References

External links

* * Photo o
Bud Green

Bud Green recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Bud 1890s births 1981 deaths Jewish American songwriters 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American Jews Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States