Louis Wolfe Gilbert (August 31, 1886 – July 12, 1970) was a

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

–born American songwriter of

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...

. He is best remembered as the lyricist for "

Ramona ''Ramona'' is a 1884 American novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson. Set in Southern California after the Mexican–American War, it portrays the life of a mixed-race Scottish– Native American orphan girl, who suffers racial discrimination and ...

" (1928), the first movie theme song ever written.

Biography

Born in Odessa,

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, then in the Russian Empire, Gilbert moved to the United States as a young man. Gilbert began his career touring with

John L. Sullivan John Lawrence Sullivan (October 15, 1858 – February 2, 1918), known simply as John L. among his admirers, and dubbed the "Boston Strong Boy" by the press, was an American boxer recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing ...

and singing in a quartet at small Coney Island café called College Inn, where he was discovered by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

producer Albert Decourville. Decourville brought him to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

as part of The Ragtime Octet. Gilbert's first songwriting success came in 1912, when F. A. Mills Music Publishers published his song " Waiting For the Robert E. Lee" (melody by composer

Lewis F. Muir Lewis F. Muir, born Louis Meuer (May 30, 1883 – December 3, 1915) was an American composer and ragtime pianist. Biography Originally a Hatmaking, millinery peddler, Muir started as a pianist in St. Louis cafes and played in the St. Louis World' ...

). Gilbert later wrote both the words and music to " Down Yonder", a sequel to "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee". "Down Yonder" has become something of a standard as an instrumental, though the lyrics are rarely performed. He joined ASCAP in 1924. Gilbert moved to Hollywood in 1929, and began writing for film, television, and radio (including the Eddie Cantor show). During the 1930s, Gilbert worked on Cuban songs that helped to popularize the

rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba. ...

in America. Some of these hits for which he wrote English lyrics include "

The Peanut Vendor "El manisero", known in English as "The Peanut Vendor", is a Cuban son- pregón composed by Moisés Simons. Together with "Guantanamera", it is arguably the most famous piece of music created by a Cuban musician. "The Peanut Vendor" has been record ...

", "Mama Inez", and "Maria My Own". Gilbert wrote the theme lyrics for the popular children's

Television Western Television westerns are a subgenre of the Western (genre), Western, a genre of film, fiction, drama, television programming, etc., in which stories are set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in the American Old West, Western Canada an ...

Hopalong Cassidy, which first aired in 1949 on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

. He was an innovator in his field, having been one of the first songwriters to begin publishing and promoting a catalog of his own works. He served as the director of ASCAP from 1941 to 1944, and again in 1953. He was 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. Known as "Wolfie", Gilbert and his wife Rose lived in Beverly Hills and he and his family were members of Temple Israel of Hollywood. He died in

Los Angeles, California 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' ...

on July 12, 1970. His original gravesite was at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City ( Mausoleum, Court of Sages, Crypt 223) but he was later reinterred at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City) near Palm Springs, California.

Songs

*1912 " Waiting for the Robert E. Lee" (music by

) *1912 "

Hitchy-Koo ''Hitchy-Koo'' is a 1912 American popular song and a series of musical revues, inspired by the song, staged on Broadway each year from 1917 through 1920 and on tour in 1922. Described by ''Variety'' magazine as a "hit song of 1912", the song was c ...

" (music by Lewis F. Muir and

Maurice Abrahams Maurice Abrahams (March 18, 1883 – April 13, 1931) was an American songwriter and music publisher, who was successful in the early years of the 20th century. Biography Abrahams was born in Odessa, Russia, and emigrated to the US as a child in ...

, recorded by

Collins & Harlan Collins & Harlan, the team of American singers Arthur Collins and Byron G. Harlan, formed a popular comic duo between 1903 and 1926. They sang ragtime standards as well as what were known as "coon songs" – music sung by white performers in a bl ...

) *1912 "Ragging the Baby to Sleep" (music by Lewis F. Muir) *1912 "Take Me to that Swanee Shore" (music by Lewis F. Muir) *1913 "Mammy Jinny's Mubilee" (music by Lewis F. Muir) *1914 "By Heck" (music by S. R. Henry) *1914 "She's Dancing Her Heart Away" (music by

Kerry Mills Kerry Mills ''(né'' Frederick Allen Mills; 1 February 1869 in Philadelphia – 5 December 1948 in Hawthorne, California), publishing also as F.A. Mills was an American ragtime composer and music publishing executive of popular music during the Ti ...

) *1915 "My Sweet Adair" (music by

Anatole Friedland Anatole Friedland, also spelled as Anatol Friedland and Anato Friedland, (March 21, 1881 – July 24, 1938) was a composer, songwriter, vaudeville performer, and Broadway producer during the 1900s. He is most-known for composing songs with lyrici ...

) *1916 "I Miss You Miss America" (music by

Lee S. Roberts Leland Stanford Roberts (1884–1949), commonly known as Lee S. Roberts, was an American composer and pianist. He is best known for his composition 'Smiles' with lyricist J. Will Callahan, written in 1917, but was a prolific composer across many ...

) *1916 "I've Got the Army Blues" (with Carey Morgan) *1916 "My Hawaiian Sunrise" (music by Carey Morgan, recorded by

Henry Burr Henry Burr (January 15, 1882 – April 6, 1941) was a Canadian singer, radio performer and producer. He was born Harry Haley McClaskey and used Henry Burr as one of his many pseudonyms, in addition to Irving Gillette, Henry Gillette, Alfred Alex ...

and Albert C. Campbell) *1917 "Are You From Heaven?" (music by Anatole Friedland) *1917 "Camouflage" (with Anatole Friedland) *1917 "Lily of the Valley" (music by Anatole Friedland) *1917 " Set Aside Your Tears (Till the Boys Come Marching Home)" (with Malvin Franklin and Anatole Friedland ) *1921 " Down Yonder" *1924 "O, Katharina" (music by Richard Fall) *1925 "Don't Wake Me Up, Let Me Dream" (music by

Mabel Wayne Mabel Wayne (born Mabel Wimpfheimer, July 16, 1890 – June 19, 1978) was an American songwriter, noted as "one of the first women composers to publish a hit song". Her songs included " In a Little Spanish Town", "Ramona", and "It Happened in Mo ...

) *1925 "I Miss My Swiss" (music by

Abel Baer Abel Baer (March 16, 1893 – October 5, 1976) was an American songwriter, associated with Tin Pan Alley. Biography Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Baer graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, specialising in dentistry. Baer left ...

) *1926 "Hello, Aloha, How Are You?" (music by Abel Baer) *1927 "

Lucky Lindy! "Lucky Lindy!" is a fox-trot song composed by Abel Baer, with lyrics by L. Wolfe Gilbert. It was published by Harmony in 1927. The song was the first to celebrate Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight in the '' Spirit of St. Louis'' and his l ...

" (music by Abel Baer) *1928 "Are You Thinking of Me Tonight?" (music by

Harry Akst Harry Akst (August 15, 1894 – March 31, 1963)
- accessed November 19, 2011 was an American 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 ...

, recorded by Al Bowlly with John Abriani's Six) *1928 "

" (music by Mabel Wayne, recorded by

Whispering Jack Smith Jack Smith (born Jacob Schmidt, May 30, 1896 – May 13, 1950), known as "Whispering" Jack Smith, was an American baritone singer who was a popular radio and recording artist. He was at his most popular during the 1920s and 1930s, making a br ...

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, W ...

Orchestra featuring Bix Beiderbecke, 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 ...

) *1928 " Jeannine, I Dream of Lilac Time" (music by

Nathaniel 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 ...

, recorded by over a hundred artists) *1928 "" (), the Yiddish version of " Sonny Boy" sung by

Pesach Burstein Pesach "Peishachke" Burstein (April 15, 1896 – April 6, 1986) was a Polish-born American comedian, singer, coupletist, and director of Yiddish vaudeville/theater. He was honored with the Itzik Manger Prize in 1986. His wife Lillian Lux, and ...

*1929 " My Mother's Eyes" (music by Abel Baer) *1931 "Marta" (music by Moises Simons, recorded by (

Arthur Tracy Arthur Tracy (25 June 1899 – 5 October 1997) was an American vocalist and actor, billed as The Street Singer. His performances in theatre, films and radio, along with his recordings, brought him international fame in the 1930s. Late evening r ...

, The Street Singer) *1931 "Mama Inez" (music

Eliseo Grenet Eliseo Grenet Sánchez (12 June 1893 in Havana – 4 December 1950) was a Cuban pianist and a leading composer/arranger of the day. He composed music for stage shows and films, and some famous Cuban dance music.Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionar ...

)

Lyrics for Broadway productions

*1912 ''The Girl from Brighton'' *1912–1913 ''(From) Broadway to Paris'' *1916–1917 ''The Century Girl'' *1917 ''Doing Our Bit'' *1919 ''Oh, What A Girl!'' *1931 ''The Singing Rabbi''

Gilbert & Friedland

Gilbert & Friedland was a

music publishing A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers started to play a role in the management of the intellect ...

partnership between composer, performer, and songwriter

(also sometimes spelled Anatol Friedland and Anato Friedland) and lyricist L. Wolfe Gilbert. *"Are You from Heaven?" *" Then You Can Come Back to Me" (1918) *" While You're Away" (1918) *"That Beloved Cheater of Mine", from film ''

The Beloved Cheater ''The Beloved Cheater'' (originally titled ''The Pleasant Devil'') is a 1919 American silent comedy film, directed by Christy Cabanne. It stars Lew Cody, Doris Pawn, and Eileen Percy, and was released on December 6, 1919. Plot Kingdon Challoner ...

'' *"Singapore (1918), Rector Novelty Orchestra, a ragtime song *"Shades of Gray" *"Love is a Wonderful Thing"

References

;Bibliography * *

External links