Isham Edgar Jones (January 31, 1894 – October 19, 1956) was an American bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

Career

Jones was born in

Coalton, Ohio Coalton is a village in Jackson County, Ohio, United States. The population was 479 at the 2010 census. The village derives its name from Coal Township. Geography Coalton is located at (39.111094, −82.611055). According to the United State ...

, United States, to a musical and mining family. His father, Richard Isham Jones (1865–1945), was a violinist. The family moved to

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

, where Jones grew up and started his first ensemble for church concerts. In 1911 one of Jones's earliest compositions "On the Alamo" was published by Tell Taylor Inc. (

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Pl ...

had formed a publishing company the year before when his song "Down by the Old Mill Stream" became a hit.) In 1915 Jones moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. He performed at the Green Mill Gardens, then began playing at Fred Mann's Rainbo Gardens. Chicago remained his home until 1932, when he settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He also toured England with his orchestra in 1925. Isham Jones and his orchestra

In 1917, he composed the tune "We're In The Army Now" (also known as "

You're In the Army Now ''You're in the Army Now'' is a 1941 comedy film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Jimmy Durante, Phil Silvers, Jane Wyman, and Regis Toomey. It featured the longest kiss in film (lasting three minutes and five seconds), between Toomey and ...

") when the United States entered World War I. The same tune was popular during World War II and it is played by the U.S. Army Band. The Isham Jones band made a series of popular

gramophone record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

s for Brunswick throughout the 1920s. His first 26 sides, made at Rainbo Gardens, were credited to "Isham Jones' Rainbo Orchestra". By the end of 1920, the name was simply "Isham Jones' Orchestra". He led one of the most popular dance bands in the 1920s and 1930s. His first successful recording, "

Wabash Blues "Wabash Blues", with words by Dave Ringle and music by Fred Meinken, was the first major success for pianist, saxophonist and song composer Isham Jones (1894–1956). Recorded in 1921 by Isham Jones and his Orchestra, this million-seller stay ...

" written by

Dave Ringle Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

and

Fred Meinken Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico R ...

, was recorded in 1921. This million-seller stayed for twelve weeks in the U.S. charts, six at No. 1. It was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. Noted musicians who played in Jones's band included

Louis Panico Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

(although no records were made during the short time he was there),

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

, Walt Yoder, and

Roy Bargy Roy Fredrick Bargy (July 31, 1894 – January 16, 1974) was an American composer and pianist. Biography Born in Newaygo, Michigan, he grew up in Toledo, Ohio. In 1919, he began working with Charley Straight at the Imperial Piano Roll Company in ...

. Reed virtuoso

Al Gallodoro Alfred J. Gallodoro, (June 20, 1913 – October 4, 2008) was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, who performed from the 1920s up until his death. He is notable for having played lead alto sax with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra and b ...

appeared briefly with Jones in 1933, taking part in a record date October 3. From the start, his Brunswick records were popular. There was a gap from October 1927 to June 1929 where Jones did not record due to disbanding and reorganization. From 1929 to 1932, his Brunswick recordings became even more sophisticated with offbeat arrangements by

Gordon Jenkins Gordon Hill Jenkins (May 12, 1910 – May 1, 1984) was an American arranger, composer, and pianist who was influential in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s. Jenkins worked with The Andrews Sisters, Johnny Cash, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, Loui ...

and others; Jones was his own arranger early on, but cultivated others. During this period, Jones started featuring violinist Eddie Stone as one of his regular vocalists. Stone had an unusual, almost humorous tone to his voice. His other vocalists included Frank Sylvano, Billy Scott, and Arthur Jarrett. In 1932, he added Joe Martin, another of the band's violinists, as a frequent vocalist. In April that year, young

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 ...

recorded two sessions with Jones's group which included "

Sweet Georgia Brown "Sweet Georgia Brown" is a jazz standard composed in 1925 by Ben Bernie and Maceo Pinkard, with lyrics by Kenneth Casey. History Reportedly, Ben Bernie came up with the concept for the song's lyrics – although he is not the credited lyricis ...

". Crosby at this point in his career was still singing in a jazz idiom, transitioning to his better known "

crooner Crooner is a term used to describe primarily male singers who performed using a smooth style made possible by better microphones which picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to access a more dynamic range ...

" style. In August 1932, Jones signed with

Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

, and these records are considered among the best arranged and performed commercial dance band records of the Depression era. Victor's recording technique was suited to Jones' band. In October 1932, he teamed up with the

Three X Sisters The Three X Sisters were an American all-girl harmony singing trio initially known as The Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce. They were on stage singing together in New York City, on Broadway, as early as 1922 and formed their trio in 1924, which was com ...

in New York who had just departed from CBS radio. They recorded "experimental" songs for RCA Victor in which Jones began to fuse jazz and early swing music. They recorded "Where? (I Wonder Where?)" and "What Would Happen to Me If Something Happened to You." His Victor releases had an almost symphonic sound, often with a strong use of tuba. During his Victor period, he recorded two long playing "Program Transcription" records as part of Victor's unsuccessful 33 1/3 RPM series. He stayed with Victor until July 1934, when he signed with

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

. Jones's recordings during this period rivaled

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, ...

Waring's Pennsylvanians Waring's Pennsylvanians was a dance band that was founded at Penn State University by Fred Waring. First named the Collegians, the group was formed in 1918 at Penn State by the brothers Fred and Tom Waring and their friends Freddy Buck and Pole ...

Leo Reisman Leo F. Reisman (October 11, 1897 – December 18, 1961) was an American violinist and bandleader in the 1920s and 1930s. Born and reared in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, he was of Jewish ancestry; from German immigrants who immigrated to th ...

and other dance orchestras as examples of the most popular dance music of the era. Jones' Decca recordings are often unfavorably compared to his Victor recordings, due to Decca's recording techniques, Decca's insisting that Jones re-record many of his Victor recordings, and the apparent smaller size of his orchestra. After he left Decca in 1936, he again retired and his orchestra was taken over by band member

. Jones started a new band in 1937–38 and recorded a handful of sessions under the ARC labels: Melotone, Perfect and

Banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

. In the 1940s, Jones resided on his poultry farm in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, which he occasionally left for short tours with pickup bands. He later resided in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He moved to

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

in 1955, and died there of cancer in 1956. (He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

, and perhaps for that reason is often erroneously listed as having died in Hollywood, ''California.'') His great-nephew was the now-deceased jazz drummer Rusty Jones.

Compositions

Isham Jones was the leader of one of America's most popular dance bands in the first half of the 20th century, between the two World Wars. His remarkable string of chart-topping compositions between 1922 and 1925, in collaboration with lyricist

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including "Pretty Baby", "Ain't We Got Fun?", "Carolina in the Morning", "Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' By ...

, and later with Charles Newman, included eight number 1 records, an unequaled body of work for a full-time band leader. Each of the following selections peaked in the top ten, according to ''Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954''. The following songs were composed by Jones: * "Broken Hearted Melody" 1922; lyrics,

* "Feeling That Way" 1930 * "I Can't Believe It's True" 1932; lyrics, Charles Newman &

Ben Bernie Benjamin Anzelwitz, known professionally as Ben Bernie (May 30, 1891 – October 23, 1943),DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. ...

* "I'll Never Have to Dream Again" 1932; lyrics, Charles Newman * " I'll See You in My Dreams"; lyrics, Gus Kahn; #1 for seven weeks, Number 2 single for year 1925 * "I'm Tired of Everything but You" 1925 * " It Had to Be You"; lyrics, Gus Kahn; #1 for five weeks, Number 4 single for year 1924 * "My Castle In Spain" 1926 * "Never Again" 1924"; lyrics, Gus Kahn * " On the Alamo" ; lyrics, Gus Kahn; #1 for four weeks, Number 7 single for year 1922 * "

The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else) "The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)" is a popular song composed by Isham Jones with lyrics by Gus Kahn. The song was recorded by Isham Jones' Orchestra on December 21, 1923, at Brunswick Studios in New York City, and published on January ...

" 1924; lyrics, Gus Kahn * "Some Other Day, Some Other Girl"; lyrics, Gus Kahn; published by Milton Weil Music Co., Chicago. * "Spain" 1930; lyrics, Gus Kahn; #1 for two weeks, 1924 * "

Swingin' Down the Lane "Swingin' Down the Lane" is a 1923 song composed by Isham Jones with lyrics by Gus Kahn. Jones' instrumental version was second to " March of the Wooden Soldiers" in the list of top songs for 1923. Other popular versions in 1923 were by Ben Bern ...

"; lyrics, Gus Kahn – #1 six weeks, Number 2 single for year 1923 *

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jews, Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-bi ...

w Isham Jones Orchestra - "

" 1924 * "

There Is No Greater Love "There Is No Greater Love" is a 1936 jazz standard composed by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Marty Symes. It was the last hit song for Jones's orchestra before the bandleader turned the orchestra over to Woody Herman, beginning the latter's 50-year ca ...

" 1936; lyrics, Marty Symes * "What's the Use?" 1930; lyrics, Charles Newman * "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever?" (another theme song) 1932; lyrics, Charles Newman * " We're In The Army Now" lyrics by Tell Taylor & Ole Olsen * "You're Just a Dream Come True" (his theme song) 1931; lyrics, Charles Newman * "You've Got Me Crying Again" 1933; lyrics, Charles Newman

Other Chart-topping recordings

This group were hits, but written by other composers: * " Kismet" Isham Jones Rainbo Orchestra Composer Herschel Henlere * "Make Believe" Isham Jones Orchestra 1920 w.

Benny Davis Benny Davis (August 21, 1895 - December 20, 1979) was a vaudeville performer and writer of popular songs. Biography Davis started performing in vaudeville in his teens. He began writing songs when working as an accompanist for Blossom Seeley. In ...

m. Jack Shilkret * "

" Composer Fred Meinken - #1 for six weeks, Number 2 single for year 1921 * "My Honey's Lovin' Arms" 1922 Herman Ruby-Joseph Meyer * "

The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise" is a post-World War I popular song, with lyrics by American actor Eugene Lockhart, and music composed by Canadian-born concert pianist Ernest Seitz in 1918. He later claimed he conceived the refrain when ...

" 1922 - composed by Raymond Roberts (psued. of Ernest Seitz) and lyrics by

Gene Lockhart Edwin Eugene Lockhart (July 18, 1891 – March 31, 1957)"Gene Lockhart"
''The ...

* " Who's Sorry Now?" 1923 - composed by

Ted Snyder Theodore Frank Snyder (August 15, 1881 in Freeport, Illinois – July 16, 1965 in Woodland Hills, California), was an American composer, lyricist, and music publisher. His hits include " The Sheik of Araby" (1921) and " Who's Sorry Now?" (1923). ...

, lyrics by

Bert Kalmar Bert Kalmar (February 10, 1884 – September 18, 1947) was an American songwriter, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. He was also a screenwriter. Biography Kalmar, a native of New York City, left school at an early ag ...

and

Harry Ruby Harry Rubenstein (January 27, 1895 – February 23, 1974), known professionally as Harry Ruby, was an American actor, pianist, composer, songwriter and screenwriter, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jews, Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-bi ...

w Isham Jones Orchestra - "Steppin' Out" John S. Howard, Con Conrad *

w Isham Jones Orchestra - " California Here I Come" Al Jolson, Bud DeSylva, Joseph Meyer #1 for six weeks, Number 2 single for year 1924 * " Nobody's Sweetheart" © Jack Mills, Inc., New York. Music, Billy Meyers & Elmer Schoebel, lyrics, Gus Kahn & Ernie Erdman *

w Isham Jones Orchestra - "I'm Goin' South" Abner Silver, Harry M. Woods * "My Best Girl" 1925 Walter Donaldson * "

Riverboat Shuffle "Riverboat Shuffle" is a popular song composed by Hoagy Carmichael, Irving Mills, and Dick Voynow. Lyrics were later added by Carmichael and Mitchell Parish. First recorded by Bix Beiderbecke and The Wolverines in 1924, the piece was Carmichae ...

1925 Dick Voynow-Hoagy Carmichael-Irving Mills * "

" 1925 Ben Bernie-Maceo Pinkard-Kenneth Casey * "

Remember Remember may refer to: Film and television * ''Remember?'', a 1939 film starring Robert Taylor and Greer Garson * ''Remember'' (1926 film), an American silent drama film * ''Remember'' (2015 film), a Canadian film by Atom Egoyan, starring Chris ...

" Irving Berlin #1 one week, 1925 * " Original Charleston" (1925) Cecil Mack-James P. Johnson * "At Peace with the World" 1926 Irving Berlin * "It Made You Happy When You Made Me Cry" 1926 Walter Donaldson * "I Lost My Heart In Monterey (When I Found You)" 1926 Raymond Egan-Buddy Rose-Richard Whiting * "Together We Two" Isham Jones Orchestra with the Keller Sisters 1928 Irving Berlin * " Stardust" (1930) Hoagy Carmichael - one of the bestselling versions. Jones commissioned Victor Young to write a ballad instrumental of the mid-tempo tune and it was this arrangement (with Victor Young's violin solo) which became such a hit.

Mitchell Parish Mitchell Parish (born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky; July 10, 1900 – March 31, 1993) was an American lyricist, notably as a writer of songs for stage and screen. Biography Parish was born to a Jewish family in Lithuania, Russian Empire in July 190 ...

wrote lyrics for the song at this time. * "Lonesome Lover" 1931 Alfred Bryan, James V. Monaco * " Snuggled on Your Shoulder (Cuddled in Your Arms)" 1932 Joe Young, Carmen Lombardo * "My Silent Love" 1932 Edward Heyman and Dana Suesse * "

Everyone Says I Love You ''Everyone Says I Love You'' is a 1996 American musical film written and directed by Woody Allen. It stars Allen, Alan Alda, Drew Barrymore, Goldie Hawn, Edward Norton, Julia Roberts, Tim Roth, Natasha Lyonne and Natalie Portman. Set in New York ...

" 1932 Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar * "A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet" 1932 Gus Kahn, Harry Woods * "

It Isn't Fair "It Isn't Fair" is a popular song written by Richard Himber, Frank Warshauer, and Sylvester Sprigato and published in 1933. Isham Jones and His Orchestra (vocal by Rita Smith) had a hit with it the same year. 1950 revival The song enjoyed a rev ...

" 1933 Richard Himber, Frank Warshauer, Sylvester Sprigato * "Shadows on the Swanee" 1933 Johnny Burke, Harold Spina, Joe Young * " Over Somebody Else's Shoulder" 1934 Al Sherman, Al Lewis * "Neighbors" 1934 Charles O'Flynn, James Cavanaugh, Frank Weldon * " For All We Know" 1934 Sam M. Lewis, J. Fred Coots

Discography

* ''Happy: The 1920 Rainbo Orchestra Sides'' ( Archeophone, 2014) * ''Song of the Blues (1923-1932)'' (Rivermont Records, 2008) *''Shadows on the Swanee (1932-1934)'' (Rivermont Records, 2013)

Honors

* 1989 – Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame,

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...

* 2007 – "It Had to Be You" inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame

References

Bibliography

* ''The Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz 1900–1950''. Roger D. Kinkle: Arlington House Publishers, 1974,

External links

*
Isham Jones 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 ...

. *
Isham Jones and his Orchestra
Red Hot Jazz Archive

Archeophone Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Isham 1894 births 1956 deaths American bandleaders Big band bandleaders American male violinists American male saxophonists Songwriters from Ohio Musicians from Saginaw, Michigan People from Jackson County, Ohio Vocalion Records artists Brunswick Records artists Victor Records artists Decca Records artists 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American violinists 20th-century American saxophonists Songwriters from Michigan Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male musicians American male songwriters