William Denight Cobb (July 5, 1876 – January 20, 1930) was an American lyricist and composer. He and a partner, Ren Shields, produced several popular

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

and musical comedies in the early 20th century. Cobb also had a long-run collaboration with Gus Edwards.''

Personal life

Cobb was born July 5, 1876, in Philadelphia, and grew up there, but also lived several years in New York City. Cobb graduated 1893 from Girard College in Philadelphia. Before becoming a songwriter, he worked as a salesman in a department store. Cobb died January 20, 1930, in Manhattan, New York City, and was buried in Arlington Cemetery, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.

Career

Cobb was a prolific lyricist and composer in the early 1900s. His career spanned from approximately 1901 through the late 1920s. Early in his career, he collaborated with Ren Shields, best known for his hit, " In the Good Old Summer Time". Over the course of his career, he worked with Buddy DeSylva, George Gershwin, Harry Ruby, and Earl Carroll, among others. He joined

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

in 1927, his chief musical collaborator was Gus Edwards (vaudeville). He is responsible for writing the line still sung by schoolchildren in the United States, "School days, school days; dear old golden rule days. Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic; taught to the tune of a hick'ry stick," which came from his song, "School Days", published in 1907. In 1897, Cobb wrote the lyrics and Paul Barnes composed the music to the Spanish–American War-era song "

Goodbye, Dolly Gray "Goodbye, Dolly Gray" is a music hall song, with lyrics by American Will D. Cobb and music by American Paul Barnes, first published in 1897 by the Morse Music Publishing Company (Theodore F. Morse). The song was the publishers' first hit. Histor ...

." In the early 1900s, the song was adopted with re-written lyrics, as the theme song for the Australian Football League club, Collingwood.

Productions

Broadway

* ''Tintypes'' — Musical revue featuring songs by Will D. Cobb – October 23, 1980 – January 11, 1981 * ''The French Doll'' — Musical with lyrics by Will D. Cobb – February 20, 1922 – June 3, 1922 * ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1913'' — Musical revue with additional music by Will D. Cobb – June 16, 1913 – September 6, 1913 * ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1910'' — Musical revue featuring songs by Will D. Cobb – June 20, 1910 – September 3, 1910 * ''The Boys and Betty'' — Musical featuring songs with lyrics by Will D. Cobb – November 2, 1908 – February 6, 1909 * ''School Days'' — musical, lyrics for ''Sunbonnet Sue'' by Will D. Cobb – September 14, 1908 – October 10, 1908 * ''The-Merry-Go-Round'' — musical comedy, lyrics to ''The Shop Window Girls'' by Will D. Cobb – April 25, 1908 – July 18, 1908 * ''A Parisian Model – musical comedy with interpolated songs by Will D. Cobb – January 6, 1908 – January 25, 1908 * ''His Honor the Mayor'' — musical comedy revival with music by Cobb and Shields – November 25, 1907 – December 7, 1907 * * ''The Gay White Way'' — musical revue featuring ''Dixie Dan'' by Will D. Cobb – October 7, 1907 – January 4, 1908 * * ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1907'' — musical revue featuring songs with lyrics by Will D. Cobb – July 8, 1907 – November 10, 1907 * ''His Honor the Mayor'' — musical comedy with music by Cobb and Shields – June 3, 1907 – June 15, 1907 * '' A Parisian Model'' — musical with additional numbers by Mr. Cobb – November 27, 1906 – June 29, 1907 * ''About Town – musical revue, with additional lyrics by Will D. Cobb – November 15, 1906 – December 29, 1906 * ''His Honor the Mayor'' — musical with Music by Cobb and Shields – September 17, 1906 – September 29, 1906 * ''About Town'' — musical revue with additional numbers by Will D. Cobb – August 30, 1906 – November 10, 1906 * ''His Honor the Mayor'' – musical comedy with additional lyrics by Cobb and Shields – May 28, 1906 – August 25, 1906 * ''Woodland'' — musical, featuring songs with lyrics by Will D. Cobb – November 21, 1904 – Aug 1905 * ''Mrs. Black Is Back'' musical, featuring songs with lyrics by Will D. Cobb — November 7, 1904 – April 1, 1905 * ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to: *'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz'' ** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...

'' — songs with Gus Edwards — March 21, 1904 – November 25, 1905 * ''The Medal and the Maid'' — musical comedy – lyrics for "In Zanzibar" by Will D. Cobb – January 11, 1904 – Mar 1904 * ''Mr. Bluebeard – musical, with additional numbers by Will D. Cobb – January 21, 1903 – May 16, 1903 * ''

'' — songs with Gus Edwards — January 20, 1903 – October 3, 1903 * ''The Supper Club'' — musical comedy, music & lyrics by Will D. Cobb – December 23, 1901 – January 25, 1902 * ''The Strollers'' — musical comedy, additional lyrics by Will D. Cobb – June 24, 1901 – August 31, 1901

Songs, as lyricist

The Morse Music Company * "

" (1897), Paul Barnes (music) Howley, Haviland & Co. * I Couldn't Stand To See My Baby Lose" (1899), Gus Edwards (music) F. A. Mills Music Publisher * "I'll be with you when the roses bloom again" (1901), Gus Edwards (music) * "Waltz Me Around Again, Willie" (1906), Ren Shields (music) T. B. Harms & Francis, Day & Hunter, Inc. * "If a Table at Rector's Could Talk" (1913), Raymond Hubbell (music) M. Witmark & Sons * "Good Bye and Luck Be with You Laddie Boy" (1917), Gus Edwards (music) * "Welcome Home, Laddie Boy, Welcome Home" (1918), Gus Edwards (music) * "On a Lightless Night with You" (1918), Gus Edwards (music) * "Private Mike McGee" (1918), Gus Edwards (music) The Song Review Company * "Au Revoir" (1918), Gus Edwards (music) * "He's Long and Lean and Lanky" (1918), Gus Edwards (music) * "That Grand Old Gentleman (Uncle Sam)" (1918), Gus Edwards (music) * "You're Your Mamma's Little Daddy Now" (1918), Gus Edwards (music) Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. * "Keep on A-Going" (1904), Gus Edwards (music) * "The Tale of a Cassowary" (1904), Gus Edwards (music) * "Johnny I'll Take You" (1904), Gus Edwards (music) * * "Sunbonnet Sue" (1908), Gus Edwards (music) Jos. W. Stern & Co. * "Mothers of Men" (1917), Gus Edwards (music) Delmar Music * "School Days (When We Were A Couple of Kids)" (1907), Gus Edwards (music) Other publishers * "I Love Only One Girl in the Wide, Wide World" (1903), Gus Edwards (music)

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

* *
Will D. Cobb 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 ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cobb, Will D. 1876 births 1930 deaths American male songwriters Songwriters from Pennsylvania 20th-century American composers 19th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Burials at Arlington Cemetery (Pennsylvania) 19th-century American male musicians