Joseph Aloysius Burke (March 18, 1884 – June 9, 1950) was an American composer, pianist and actor. His successful songs, written with various

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's incom ...

s, included "Down Honolulu Way" (1916), "

Oh How I Miss You Tonight "Oh, How I Miss You Tonight" is a popular song, published in 1925, written by Benny Davis, Joe Burke, and Mark Fisher. Popular recordings of the song in 1925 were by Ben Selvin, Benson Orchestra of Chicago, Lewis James and Irving Kaufman. Oth ...

" (1924), "

Tiptoe Through the Tulips "Tiptoe Through the Tulips", also known as "Tip Toe Through the Tulips with Me", is a popular song published in 1929. The song was written by Al Dubin (lyrics) and Joe Burke (music) and made popular by guitarist Nick Lucas. On February 5, 1968, ...

" (1929), " Moon Over Miami" (1935), " Getting Some Fun Out of Life" (1937) and " Rambling Rose" (1948).

Life and career

Joe Burke was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States. He graduated from the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music and started as a pianist accompanying silent movies and an arranger in a music publishing firm. He also worked as a film actor, appearing in the 1915 silent movie ''The Senator''. "Joe Burke", ''Songwriters Hall of Fame''
. Retrieved 10 April 2017 It was during this time that he started writing songs for publication. His first composition, "Down Honolulu Way", written with

Earl Burtnett Earl Burtnett (February 7, 1896 – January 2, 1936) was an American bandleader, songwriter and pianist who was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Life and career Burtnett was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He attended Pennsylvania State Col ...

, was successful in 1916. In 1925, with lyricist

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 ...

, he wrote "

", recorded by

Ben Selvin Benjamin Bernard Selvin (March 5, 1898 – July 15, 1980) was an American musician, bandleader, and record producer. He was known as the Dean of Recorded Music. Selvin was born in New York City, United States, the son of Jewish Russian immigran ...

among others; and later, also with Davis, wrote " Carolina Moon", a hit for both Selvin and

Gene Austin Lemeul Eugene Lucas (June 24, 1900 – January 24, 1972), better known by his stage name Gene Austin, was an American singer and songwriter, one of the early " crooners". His recording of " My Blue Heaven" sold over 5 million copies and was for ...

. Jack Burton, "The Honor Roll of Popular Songwriters: Joe Burke", ''Billboard'', August 4, 1951, p.32
/ref> As an actor, Burke appeared in the 1929 film ''

The Show of Shows ''The Show of Shows'' is a 1929 American pre-Code musical revue film directed by John G. Adolfi and distributed by Warner Bros. The all-talking Vitaphone production cost $850,000 and was shot almost entirely in Technicolor. ''The Show o ...

'', and remained in Hollywood as a film score composer for several years. Working in Hollywood with lyricist Al Dubin, Burke wrote "Tiptoe Through the Tulips", recorded most successfully by

Nick Lucas Dominic Nicholas Anthony Lucanese (August 22, 1897 – July 28, 1982), known professionally as Nick Lucas, was an American jazz guitarist and singer. Known as the Crooning Troubadour, he was the first jazz guitarist to record as a soloist. His p ...

, and originally written for the musical ''

Gold Diggers of Broadway ''Gold Diggers of Broadway'' is a 1929 American pre-Code musical comedy film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Winnie Lightner and Nick Lucas. Distributed by Warner Bros., the film is the second all-talking, all-Technicolor feature-length ...

'', as was "

Painting the Clouds with Sunshine "Painting the Clouds with Sunshine" is a popular song published in 1929. The music was written by Joe Burke and the lyrics by Al Dubin for the 1929 musical film ''Gold Diggers of Broadway'' when it was sung by Nick Lucas. ''Gold Diggers of Broa ...

". Burke also collaborated with Dubin to write the Villanova University Alma Mater. However, when their song "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" was rejected by the film studio, Burke returned to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

; the song became a hit for both Selvin and

Nat Shilkret Nathaniel Shilkret (December 25, 1889 – February 18, 1982) was an American musician, composer, conductor and musical director. Early career Shilkret (originally named Natan Schüldkraut) was born in New York City, United States, to parents ...

. During the mid-1930s, Burke wrote a string of hit songs with lyricist

Edgar Leslie Edgar Leslie (December 31, 1885 – January 22, 1976) was an American songwriter. Biography Edgar Leslie was born in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1885. He studied at the Cooper Union in New York. He published his first song in 1909, starting a lo ...

, including "On Treasure Island", "A Little Bit Independent", "In a Little Gypsy Tea Room", " Moon Over Miami", and "

It Looks Like Rain in Cherry Blossom Lane "It Looks Like Rain in Cherry Blossom Lane" is a popular song written by composer Joe Burke and lyricist Edgar Leslie. It was published in 1937. It was first recorded by Arthur Tracy, "The Street Singer". In July 1937, the recording of the song b ...

", a 1937 hit for

Guy Lombardo Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was an Italian-Canadian-American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racer. Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and oth ...

. He continued to work with both Leslie and Dubin, but had his final success in 1948, writing Perry Como's hit " Rambling Rose" with lyricist Joseph McCarthy. Burke died at his home in

Upper Darby Upper Darby Township, often shortened to Upper Darby, is a Home Rule Municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule Township (Pennsylvania), township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The township borders Philadelphia, the List of United States cities b ...

, Pennsylvania in 1950, at the age of 66. He was posthumously inducted into the

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 ...

in 1970. Other artists who have recorded his songs include Dean Martin, Kate Smith, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney,

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 ...

, Fats Waller,

Rudy Vallee Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

, Doris Day, Frank Sinatra,

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

Twiggy Dame Lesley Lawson (''née'' Hornby; born 19 September 1949) is an English model, actress, and singer, widely known by the nickname Twiggy. She was a British cultural icon and a prominent teenaged model during the swinging '60s in London. ...

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music ...

Eydie Gorme Eydie may refer to: * Eydie Gormé (1928–2013), American singer. * Steve and Eydie, an American pop vocal duet, * Eydie Whittington, a Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. * The World Of Steve & Eydie, a 1972 album released by Steve Law ...

, and Tiny Tim.

Selected works

Soundtracks

*''

'' (1929) *'' Hearts in Exile'' (1929) *''

Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...

'' (1929) *''

Little Johnny Jones ''Little Johnny Jones'' is a musical by George M. Cohan. The show introduced Cohan's tunes " Give My Regards to Broadway" and " The Yankee Doodle Boy." The "Yankee Doodle" character was inspired by real-life Hall of Fame jockey Tod Sloan. Bac ...

'' *''She Couldn't Say No'' *'' Hold Everything'' (1930) *''Dancing Sweeties'' *''

Oh Sailor Behave ''Oh, Sailor, Behave!'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code musical comedy film produced and released by Warner Brothers, and based on the play ''See Naples and Die'', written by Elmer Rice. The film was originally intended to be entirely in Technicolor ...

'' (1930) *''Top Speed'' *''Sweethearts on Parade'' *''Big Boy and Palooka'' (also known as ''The Great Schnozzle'')

Other songs

*"Carolina Moon" –

(1929) *"

" –

(1929) *"Dancing With Tears in My Eyes" –

(1930) *"On Treasure Island" –

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

(1935) *" Moon Over Miami" –

Eddy Duchin Edwin Frank Duchin (April 1, 1909 – February 9, 1951), commonly known as Eddy Duchin or alternatively Eddie Duchin, was an American jazz pianist and bandleader during the 1930s and 1940s. Early career Duchin was born on April 1, 1909 in Cambri ...

(1936) *" Rambling Rose" – Perry Como (1948) *"Who Wouldn't Love You" –

Kay Kyser James Kern Kyser (June 18, 1905 – July 23, 1985), known as Kay Kyser, was an American bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s. Early years James Kern Kyser was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Emily ...

(1942) *"Baby Your Mother" *" For You" *"Yearning" *"

Oh, How I Miss You Tonight "Oh, How I Miss You Tonight" is a popular song, published in 1925, written by Benny Davis, Joe Burke, and Mark Fisher. Popular recordings of the song in 1925 were by Ben Selvin, Benson Orchestra of Chicago, Lewis James and Irving Kaufman. Oth ...

" *"A Little Bit Independent" *"In a Little Gypsy Tearoom" *"It Looks Like Rain in Cherry Blossom Lane" *"In the Valley of the Moon" *"

" *"At a Perfume Counter" *"By the River of the Roses" *"The Kiss Waltz" *"She Was Just a Sailor's Sweetheart" *" Robins and Roses" *"Cling To Me" *"Midnight Blue" *"We Must be Vigilant" *" Villanova Alma Mater" *"Getting Some Fun Out of Life" *"There's a Little Picture Playhouse in My Heart" *"No Wonder (That I Love You)" *"I'd Rather be Your Sweetheart Than a Millionaire" *"The Turkey Trot Glide"

References

Bibliography

* ''Tin Pan Alley: The Composers, the Songs, the Performers and their Times'' by David A. Jasen,

External links

*
Joe Burke recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. {{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Joe American composers American pianists 1884 births 1950 deaths Musicians from Philadelphia University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni American male pianists American male composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists