Byron Sturges Gay (August 28, 1886 – December 22, 1945) was an American songwriter. One of his best-known songs "Four or Five Times" (co–written with Marco H. Hellman) has been recorded by numerous artists including

King Oliver Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 8/10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes in jazz. Also a notable composer, he wr ...

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and more. Byron also worked with the composer Richard A. Whiting, together they wrote such songs as "Horses" and "Fire", both popular dance and comedy songs.

Personal life

Gay was born on August 22, 1886, in Illinois to Cassius Mason Gay (1862–1917) and Julia Iona Fessenden Gay (1893–1947). He had two brothers and two sisters, one of whom he outlived by four months. Gay married Ethel May Stokes (June 19, 1893 – May 1, 1947) and had one daughter. He died at age 59 of congestive heart failure on December 22, 1945, in

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Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Stage productions

Gay wrote the music for ''The Uplifters' Minstrels'',

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

's 1916 stage farce for

The Uplifters The Uplifters may refer to: * The Uplifters (club) The Lofty and Exalted Order of Uplifters or simply The Uplifters is an invitation-only social club at the Los Angeles Athletic Club founded by Harry Marston Haldeman in 1913. The club is still i ...

; he also had songs in ''The Greenwich Village Follies'' of 1919 and 1921.

Selected list of songs

* "Fate" (1921) * "Fast Asleep in Poppy Land" * "Fire!" (Byron Gay, Richard A. Whiting) (1926) * "Four or Five Times" (Byron Gay, Marco H. Hellman) (recorded in 1928 by

) * "Horses" (Bryon Gay, Richard A. Whiting) (1924) * "The Little Ford Rambled Right Along" (Byron Gay, C. R. Foster) (1914) * "

O (Oh!) "O (Oh!)" is a song written by Byron Gay and Arnold Johnson and performed by Ted Lewis and His Band. It reached No. 13 on the U.S. pop chart in 1920. Other charting versions * Pee Wee Hunt and His Orchestra released a version of the song which ...

" (Byron Gay, Arnold Johnson) (1919), (a 1953 recording by

Pee Wee Hunt Walter Gerhardt "Pee Wee" Hunt (May 10, 1907 – June 22, 1979) was an American jazz trombonist, vocalist, and bandleader. Hunt was born in Mount Healthy, Ohio. He developed a musical interest at an early age, as his mother, Sadie, played the ban ...

sold a million copies) * "Sand Dunes" (1918) * "Song of the West" * "The Vamp" (1919) * "Wide Open Spaces" (Byron Gay, Richard A. Whiting,

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, ...

) (1927)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gay, Byron 1886 births American male songwriters 1945 deaths 20th-century American male musicians