Turner Layton (July 2, 1894 – February 6, 1978),
born John Turner Layton, Jr., was an African American songwriter, singer and pianist. He frequently worked with
Henry Creamer
Henry Sterling Creamer (June 21, 1879 – October 14, 1930) was an African American popular song lyricist and theater producer. He was born in Richmond, Virginia and died in New York. He co-wrote many popular songs in the years from 1900 to 1929, ...
.
Life
Born in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, United States, in 1894, he was the son of John Turner Layton, "a bass singer, music educator and hymn composer."
[Peterson, Bernard L. ''Profiles of African American Stage Performers and Theatre People, 1816-1890)'', Greenwood Press, 2000, p. 164] After receiving a musical education from his father, he attended the
Howard University Dental School, later coming 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 ...
in the early 1900s, where he met future songwriting partner, lyricist
Henry Creamer
Henry Sterling Creamer (June 21, 1879 – October 14, 1930) was an African American popular song lyricist and theater producer. He was born in Richmond, Virginia and died in New York. He co-wrote many popular songs in the years from 1900 to 1929, ...
.
Layton is best known for his many compositions with Creamer, the best known of which is the standard "
After You've Gone", written in 1918 and first popularized by
Sophie Tucker. Turner and Creamer had another hit with
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans in 1922.
It was recorded in 1927 by Frank Trumbauer (with Bix Beiderbecke), and was a rock and roll hit for
Freddy Cannon in 1959. Turner and Layton contributed music and lyrics to many
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
shows, including 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 Ai ...
'' of 1917, 1921 and 1922, ''Three Showers'' (1920), ''Some Party'' (1922) and Creamer's own ''Strut Miss Lizzie'' (1922).
Beginning in 1924, Layton found major popular success in England with Clarence "Tandy" Johnstone
[Friedwald, Will. ''A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers'' (New York : Pantheon Books, 2010), p. 582] as a member of the group
Layton & Johnstone, quickly earning a reputation as a cabaret act, with the pair allegedly selling over "10 million records".
Layton split with Johnstone in 1935 (after Johnstone had been named in Albert Sandler's divorce), with Johnstone returning to New York and continuing to perform with significantly less success.
Layton continued to perform in England.
An elegant song stylist, he held a regular, successful spot over the years at the Café de Paris, a
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 ...
club, until his retirement in 1946.
He died in London in February 1978, at the age of 83.
Recordings
Two albums of Layton & Johnstone recordings have been issued on CD in the UK - on ASV ''Living Era'' (CD AJA 5426) and ''Flapper'' (PAST CD 9712). Two compilation albums of recordings by Layton have been released on CD.
Legacy
His daughter A'Lelia Shirley inherited his musical estate and left the copyright and royalties to her father's music to
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital ...
in London in her will on her death in January 2001.
Notable compositions
*"
After You've Gone"
*"
Dear Old Southland "Dear Old Southland" is a 1921 jazz standard. It was composed by Turner Layton, with lyrics by Henry Creamer. It uses basically the same melody as the song '' Deep River''. Popular recordings in 1922 were by Paul Whiteman and by Vernon Dalhart.
Oth ...
"
*"
Goodbye Alexander, Goodbye Honey Boy
"Goodbye Alexander, Goodbye Honey Boy" is a World War I song describing an African American soldier going off to war and his girlfriend's reaction in his military service. The song is credited to Henry Creamer and Turner Layton, the writers of ''S ...
"
*"It Must Be Love"
*"Strut, Miss Lizzie"
*"
'Way down Yonder in New Orleans"
References
External links
Biographyat AllMusic
Turner Layton recordingsat the
Discography of American Historical Recordings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Layton, Turner
1894 births
1978 deaths
Songwriters from Washington, D.C.
American male songwriters
20th-century American musicians
20th-century American male musicians
African-American songwriters
20th-century African-American musicians