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THE
56
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
JULY 26, 1919
The New Hit by the Writers of "Mammy o'Mine"
"JUST LEAVE IT TO ME"
By BILLY TRACEY and MACIO PINKARD
Published by Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Music Publishers, Cor. B'way & 47th St., N.Y.
her childhood. So far as we can find out she
was not exactly a tomboy, as the appellation
How a Gifted Woman Has Made Good as a "Bob" might indicate, but a mighty good fel-
Composer and Publisher of the Better Class low, just as she is yet, while always maintaining
her femininity.
of Music—New Numbers From Her Pen
She began writing songs when a child, the
first song being written when thirteen years
CHICAGO, I I I . , July 23, 1919.
"You may live in a land full of sunshine and. old. After her husband's death she started to
publish songs as a means of livelihood, but
roses,
"A fair land of wonder, each longing achieve; being without an established name in the world
"May dwell in air-castles and commune with of music she could not "get in" without making
concessions, without violating her ideal of what
princes—-
a song should be, and she didn't. She com
"If you live in a land of Make-believe."
—Bob Chamberlin. menced publishing her own songs. Her phi-
This is going to be a somewhat unusual story.
In the true sense of the word, accomplishment
means production and has nothing to do with
commercialism, but trade papers and most
magazines devoted to articles on "the principles
of success" for young aspirants usually relate
only the victories of people whose "arrival" has
been marked with a large influx of the coin of
the realm.
This tirqe we are going to tell the story of
one who has accomplished much, but who has
not "arrived," except in an artistic sense—a
simple, direct, true little story, frank to the
core. It has got to be that, or it would mis-
represent the subject, for she, herself, is true,
direct and frank.
While her songs have not yet become cur-
rent in a large popular sense there are still
quite a number of people who have heard and
have sung "Bob Chamberlin's" songs, but few
of them know that she is a woman, and that is
the delightful thing of it, she is all woman, and
her femininity expresses itself in her songs.
While the music is good and simple and the
lyrics touch the experience of the average man
Bob Chamberlin (Mrs. Annabelle Held)
and woman there is no concession to what we losophy of life is expressed in her lyrics and an
often refer to when we speak of the "popular idea of what it is can be obtained from the
taste." The big "popular" publishers have ex- chorus of "The Land of Make-believe," which
pressed a willingness to take up "Bob's" songs is quoted at the beginning of this article. Every-
if she would change them, if she would get a thing about her work shows conscientiousness
little of the so-called "snap," if she would inject and the artistic instinct. She has the best ar-
an element of the salacious; but she couldn't, and rangers in Chicago working on her music just
if she could, she wouldn't, and she didn't. She
could not sacrifice her sense of refinement, her
TAKE TO DEEP WATER, MR. BASS
womanliness. She could make no concessions.
As we learn something about her we do not C. Arthur Fifer Planning to Depopulate Fish
wonder at this.
Tribes in Northern Lakes
"Bob Chamberlin" is Mrs. Annabelle Cham-
Have a care, ye fish of the Northern lakes.
berlin Held, and her father was Charles H.
Some one who usually gets what he wants
Chamberlin, the author of the now world-re-
nowned State song, "Illinois," which was first is after thee. C. Arthur Fifer, president of the
sung at the meeting of the Army of the Potomac C. Arthur Fifer Music Co., Quincy, 111., Chi-
at the Chicago World's Fair, and was char- cago and New York, is on his way with his rod
acterized by McKinley as one of the most stir- and reel. If "Pot" cannot "get" you with his
ring songs ever written. So if there is such a "Bassoreno" he'll try some of his new melo-
thing as influence of heredity and environment dies on you.
it is no wonder that "Bob" has ideals and will
Mr. Fifer's friends advise him to save money
not make concessions.
on fishing tackle and to simply take a boat and
When she started to write for publication she his banjo, row on the lake and strike up "When
simply took as a non de plume the nickname of
BOB CHAMBERLIN'S CAREER
Song Hits from Ziegfeld Follies 1919
PRICE 18c. FOR JULY ONLY
"Mandy"
"A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody"
"You Cannot Make Your Shimmy
Shake on Tea"
"Harem Life"
(Outside of That Every Little Thing's All Right)
IRVING BERLIN, Inc., 1587 Broadway, N.Y.
LENDING A HEART
to make sure that it is all right technically and
the title pages are artistic in the extreme. She
writes in many styles and good critics, with
whom The Review has talked, say that she
should write a light opera or a musical comedy.
She does not think she is "up to" that yet,
but lots of people with her talent would prob-
ably think differently and get away with it
the first time. She does not say so, but she is
probably waiting until she thinks she has the
experience to produce something big enough
to prove popular while involving no "conces-
sions."
Among her songs already published are:
"When Johnny Comes Marching Home," "China
Lily," "Pussy Willow Time" and "A Love
Song Just at Evening." Just listen to the first
verse of the last-named number:
"You ask me, dear, to prove that 1 love you
"Plow could 1 fail to love so dear a prize
"The roses from your cheeks have sought their
hue,
"The stars have gleaned their brightness from
your eyes,
"The sun has gained its lustre from your hair,
"From you the birds have learned their love
songs true.
"Since first we met the world is wondrous
fair—
"The universe to me means only you."
The title and that of "When Johnny Comes
Marching Home" illustrate a trick of hers. She
is not an imitator, or a plagiarist, but she takes
up old themes sometimes and works them
through many variations, and it is fine work
she does.
Yes, there is a new woman composer-pub-
lisher in the field, and she stands for the best,
and we are probably going to hear a great
deal more of her.
That little office of hers at 312 South Dear-
born street is a pretty busy place nowadays, and,
if plans now making carry through, the concert
stage and the Lyceum stage will soon echo to
the lilting melodies and heart-reaching words of
"Bob Chamberlin's" songs.
You're Lonely, So Lonely," "Just Drifting," or
"I've Got a Little Home in the Country," and
watch the bass and'pike swarm around him.
Mr. Fifer believes in giving his hard-working
staff a real treat. They will "Packard" to the
northern Wisconsin lakes for three weeks'
sport. Accompanying him will be J. C. Barlow,
Charlie Gay—and, of course, the ladies.
C. C. Church & Co., Hartford, Conn., promi-
nent music publishers, announce that M. M.
Leidt, Julius Weiss and Philip Ponce will repre-
sent that company during the coming season.
Will E. Skidmore has opened up offices in the
Gaiety Theatre Building, New York. The firm
will publish numbers of the popular sort.
THE HIT BALLAD
OF THE DAY I S
"WHEN I COME HOME
TO YOU"
Words by WILL J. CALLAHAN
Music by FRANK H. GREY
3 Keys
HUNTZINGER & DILWORTH
159 We.t 57th Street
NEW YORK