Francis Craig (September 10, 1900 – November 19, 1966) was an American songwriter, honky tonk piano player, and leader of a Nashville dance band. His works included "

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...

" and "

Near You "Near You" is a popular song written and originally recorded by Francis Craig and His Orchestra at Castle Studio in 1947, with lyrics by Kermit Goell, that has gone on to become a pop standard. Background The recording by Francis Craig (t ...

", the latter being the first Billboard #1 hit out of Nashville.

Early years

A Methodist minister's son, Craig was born in Dickson, Tennessee, United States. He studied mathematics and political science at Vanderbilt University, Nashville. "Dynamite", now the official fight song of Vanderbilt University, was written by Craig in 1938 a week prior to a Vanderbilt/ University of Tennessee football game. It is played mainly at football games, basketball games, and at other Commodore sports events. While he was at Vanderbilt, Craig formed an orchestra, the Vanderbilt Jazz Band. When the university's chancellor told Craig he would have to change the name of the group, disband it, or leave Vanderbilt, he dropped out and changed the orchestra's name.

Radio

Craig had three stints on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee. His Francis Craig Orchestra played on the station in 1926-1928 and again in 1935-1939. He returned to the station in 1947 to work as a disc jockey on the program ''Featured by Francis Craig''. He also worked on WGN in Chicago, Illinois, in 1940.Sies, Luther F. (2014). ''Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition, Volume 1''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 166.

Recording

His own recording of "

", was released by Bullet Records as catalog number 1001B (The "A" side, 1001A, was titled "Red Rose", also by Craig). "Near You" first reached the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Best Seller chart on August 30, 1947, and lasted 21 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 1. It held the top spot for 12 straight weeks. (A 2004 article in Billboard says that the song "was No. 1 for 17 weeks in 1947.") It eventually sold over 2.5 million copies. "Craig's version of the song was the first pop hit record ever to come out of Nashville, Tennessee." Various recordings by other persons have followed. Other works included " Beg Your Pardon" with Beasley Smith.

Death

Craig died aged 66 in November 1966, in Sewanee, Tennessee.

References

1900 births 1966 deaths American male songwriters 20th-century American musicians Vanderbilt University alumni People from Dickson, Tennessee 20th-century American male musicians {{US-music-bio-stub