Clay Boland was a dentist and composer of popular songs. He was born October 25, 1903, in

Olyphant, Pennsylvania Olyphant is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is northeast of downtown Scranton, on the Lackawanna River in the heart of the anthracite region of the state. Its main source of employment was the mining and shipping o ...

, United States. He studied dentistry at the

University of Philadelphia Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univ ...

. In 1924, he won a university competition for a prom song with a composition entitled ''Dreary Weather''. He then composed music for the university's

Mask and Wig The Mask and Wig Club, a private club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1889, is a historic collegiate musical comedy troupe. Created as an alternative to the existing theatrical and dramatic outlets at the University of Pennsylvania, Mas ...

Club, collaborating especially with lyricist

Moe Jaffe Moe Jaffe (October 23, 1901 – December 2, 1972) was a songwriter and bandleader who composed more than 250 songs. He is best known for six: "Collegiate" (which was played by Chico Marx in the movie ''Horse Feathers''), "The Gypsy in My Soul", " ...

in writing the songs for many of their shows. He also performed as a pianist with leading big bands of the era and was noted for his skills as an arranger. He subsequently practised as a dentist in

Ardmore, Pennsylvania Ardmore is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) spanning the border between Delaware and Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 12,455 at the 2010 census and had risen to 13,566 in the ...

but continued to compose and participate as a partner in the music publishing business. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he served as a lieutenant commander in the US Navy's Dental Corps, and was called up again for active duty in 1950 at the time of the Korean War. In later life, he lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey and died on July 23, 1963, aged 59, in the Naval Hospital of St. Albans, Queens.

Compositions

* "An Apple a Day" * "Delightful Delerium" * "Midnight on the Trail" * "

The Gypsy in My Soul "The Gypsy in My Soul" is a popular song written for the 50th anniversary of the University of Pennsylvania Mask and Wig show in 1937 by two Penn graduates, Clay Boland and Moe Jaffe. Boland wrote the music and Jaffe the lyrics. Although both men ...

" * " Too Good to Be True" * " The Morning After" * "Something Has Happened to Me" * "Stop Beating Around the Mulberry Bush" * "Stop, It's Wonderful" * "Tell Me at Midnight" * "When I Climb Down from My Saddle"

Shows

* ''This Mad Whirl''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boland, Clay 1903 births 1963 deaths American dentists Songwriters from Pennsylvania 20th-century American musicians 20th-century dentists University of Pennsylvania alumni