Ballard MacDonald (October 15, 1882 – November 17, 1935) was an American lyricist, who was one of the writers 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 ...

. Born in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, he was a charter member of the

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers 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 ...

(ASCAP). MacDonald wrote lyrics for a song called "Play That Barber-Shop Chord" in 1910, which became a hit with revised lyrics when it was sung in the ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air ...

'' by

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

star

Bert Williams Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922) was a Bahamian-born American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He is credited as being ...

. He subsequently worked with composer

Harry Carroll Harry Carroll (November 28, 1892, in Atlantic City, New Jersey – December 26, 1962, in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania) was an American songwriter, pianist, and composer. Biography Carroll taught himself how to play the piano and began playing in mo ...

on "On the Mississippi" (1912) and " The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" (1912, based on the novel of the same name). He also partnered with

James F. Hanley James Frederick Hanley (February 17, 1892 – February 8, 1942) was an American songwriter and author. Biography Hanley was born in Rensselaer, Indiana on February 17, 1892. He attended Champion College and the Chicago Musical College. He serve ...

, which produced the 1917 hit "

(Back Home Again in) Indiana "(Back Home Again in) Indiana" is a song composed by James F. Hanley with lyrics by Ballard MacDonald that was published in January 1917. Although it is not the state song of Indiana (which is " On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away"), it is perhap ...

". In the early 1920s, MacDonald turned his attention to Broadway revues, which in 1924 brought him his most notable musical collaborator in

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

. In 1926, MacDonald teamed up with

Walter Donaldson Walter Donaldson (February 15, 1893 – July 15, 1947) was an American prolific popular songwriter and publishing company founder, composing many hit songs of the 1910s to 1940s, that have become standards and form part of the Great American Song ...

to write songs for the Broadway show ''Sweetheart Time''. '' Thumbs Up!'' was MacDonald's final Broadway show. He died in

Forest Hills, New York Forest Hills is a mostly residential neighborhood in the central portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is adjacent to Corona to the north, Rego Park and Glendale to the west, Forest Park to the south, Kew Gardens to the southeas ...

Songs

* 1912 "On the Mississippi" with

* 1912 " The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" with Harry Carroll * 1914 "Fatherland, the Motherland, the Land of My Best Girl" (m: Harry Carroll) * 1914 "Tip-Top Tipperary Mary" (m: Harry Carroll) * 1914 "War in Snider's Grocery Store" with Hank Hancock & Harry Carroll * 1915 "I Wanna Be the Captain or I Won't Play" (m: Alfred Von Tilzer) * 1915 "Is That You O'Reilly?" * 1915 "Played by a Military Band" (m: Halsey K. Mohr) * 1916 "War Babies" with

Edward Madden Edward Madden (July 17, 1878 – March 11, 1952) was an American lyricist. Early life Madden was born in New York City and graduated from Fordham University. After graduation, he wrote material for many singers including Fanny Brice and ...

(m:

) * 1917 " Back Home Again In" with James F. Hanley * 1917 "Mister Butterfly" (m: Leo Edwards) * 1917 "Never Forget to Write Home" (m: James F. Hanley) * 1917 "Ragtime Volunteers Are Off to War" (m: James F. Hanley) * 1917 "We'll Be There, on the Land, on the Sea, in the Air" (m: James F. Hanley) * 1918 "At the Dixie Military Ball" (m: Harry Carroll) * 1918 "Don't You Go and Worry, Mary" (m: Halsey K. Mohr) * 1918 "Dreaming of Home Sweet Home" (m: James F. Hanley) * 1918 "Father Will Be with Us Soon" (m: Nat Osborne) * 1918 "I've Got a Ten Day Pass for a Honeymoon (With the Girl I Left Behind)" with

(m: James F. Hanley) * 1918 "Little Bit of Sunshine (From Home)" with Joe Goodwin (m: James F. Hanley) * 1918 "Magic in Your Big Blue Eyes" (m: Nat Osborne) * 1918 "Strolling 'Round the Camp with Mary" (m: Nat Osborne) * 1918 " Three Wonderful Letters from Home" with Joe Goodwin (m: James F. Hanley) * 1918 "With the Rose (I Send This Heart of Mine)" (m: Nat Osborne) * 1919 "Another Good Man Gone Wrong" (m: Nat Osborne) * 1919 "M'sieur Jimmie (Come and Shake Ze Shimmy)" (m: Nat Osborne) * 1919 "On a Little Farm in Normandie" (m: Nat Osborne) * 1920 "I Was a Florodora Baby" with Harry Carroll

Selective list of song credits

Beautiful Ohio "Beautiful Ohio" is the official song of the U.S. State of Ohio. History The first lyrics were written in 1918 by Ballard MacDonald and the music by Robert A. "Bobo" King, who used the pseudonym Mary Earl. The melody is partly based on " Song o ...

" (MacDonald/ Robert A. King), 1918 *"Rose of Washington Square" (MacDonald/

) *" The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" (MacDonald/

Leon Jessel Leon Jessel, or Léon Jessel (22 January 1871 – 4 January 1942) was a German composer of operettas and light classical music pieces. Today he is best known internationally as the composer of the popular jaunty march '' The Parade of the Tin So ...

), 1922 *"

Back Home Again in Indiana "(Back Home Again in) Indiana" is a song composed by James F. Hanley with lyrics by Ballard MacDonald that was published in January 1917. Although it is not the state song of Indiana (which is " On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away"), it is perhap ...

" (MacDonald/James F. Hanley), 1917 * The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" (MacDonald/

), 1913 *"Play That Barbershop Chord" *"

Clap Hands! Here Comes Charley! ''Clap Hands! Here Comes Charley!'' is a popular song that was written by Billy Rose, Ballard MacDonald and Joseph Meyer and was first published in 1925. The song was recorded by several popular singers of the era, including a version by Billy M ...

" *"

Somebody Loves Me "Somebody Loves Me" is a popular song, with music written by George Gershwin, and lyrics by Ballard MacDonald and Buddy DeSylva. The song was published in 1924 and featured in ''George White's Scandals'' of 1924. This is not to be confused with ...

" *"Bend Down, Sister" *"Down in Bom Bombay" *"On the Mississippi" *" There's a Light That's Burning in the Window of the Little House Upon the Hill"

References

External links

*
Ballard MacDonald
at 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 ...

* *Sheet music fo
"Dreamy Alabama"
New York: Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., 1919. Fro
Alabama Sheet Music Collection

Ballard MacDonald 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 ...

1882 births 1935 deaths 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American male writers American lyricists American male songwriters Musicians from Portland, Oregon Songwriters from Oregon Writers from Portland, Oregon {{oregon-bio-stub