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66
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 30, 1922
'TWAS EVER THUS!
Songs of a Generation Ago Were Just as
Wicked as Those of To-day
In months gone by we heard frequent pro-
tests from ministers, civic bodies and musical
organizations against what was termed the prev-
alence of "jazz" in our life and in our musical
compositions. While the protests themselves did
not have much effect on the curtailment of jazz
compositions, the fact remains that such works
are almost passe, their vogue having passed and
jazz having spent itself.
From jazz the protesters have turned to the
flapper, who is now the object of their wrath.
We recently read some comment on what is
termed the independence of the present-day flap-
per and it was pointed out that succeeding gen-
erations invariably receive the disapproval, in
one form or another, of those who were once
young.
Therefore, the exhibition of the publications
of Erastus Beadle, father of the dime novel, who
was also a publisher of many dime song books,
now being shown at the Public Library of New
York, carries a message which should not be
overlooked; but aside from that the collection
has some historical interest. A thoughtful per-
son on the staff of the New York Sun made the
following comment:
Persons who were helpful in drawing up the
Volstead act will learn with horror on examin-
ing the titles of the paper-backed song books
that in the good old days lamented by most
moralists families were accustomed to gather
around the parlor organ and chant such ditties
as "When Brown Comes Rolling Home," "Cham-
pagne Charlie," "Old Whisky Jug," "Charge the
Can Cheerily," "Bright, Bright Wine" and "See
That My Nose Is Kept Red."
Other ditties trilled by our worthy ancestors
in the refined old days included "The Cracks-
man's Chant," "Pull Down the Blind," "Grease
the Griddle," "She Was Clerk in a Candy Store,"
"I'm Dancing Mad," "Go Tt While You're
Young," "Charley the Masher," "The Rat Catch-
er's Daughter," "Captain Jinks," "Lanigan's
Ball," "Not for Joseph" and "Ridin' in a Rail-
road Keer."
"What Are the Wild Waves Saying?" "On the
Beach at Long Branch" and "Johnny Morgan"
are other interesting titles of songs popular in
their day. "The Belle of Rockaway Beach,"
whose picture appears on the cover of the song
book which bears her name, although undoubted-
ly a dashing Summer maid of her day, would
arouse mingled feelings of contempt and envy
in the heart of this Summer's bathing girl.
The Rockaway belle of the sixties, as evi-
denced by the cover picture, wore an extremely
chaste bathing suit trimmed with garnet ruffles.
The costume had long sleeves finished with cuffs
and the walking turban which the belle wore into
the waves must have looked exceedingly odd,
though very refined and dressy when bobbing
above the breakers.
There were three distinct series of the song
HERE THEY ARE!
A HANDFUL OF LIVE SELLERS
"Swanee Bluebird"
"Burning Sands
You Hear It Played Everywhere
The Answer to "The Sheik"
An Oriental Fox Trot Predicted by the Foremost Orchestra Leaders to
Become the Raging Hit of the Season
Baby Blue Eyes
The Hit Song In George JessePs Shubert Production "Troubles of 1922"
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
"OLD FASHIONED GIRL"
Still the Outstanding Hit in "BOMBO"
Sung by Al Jolson During His Chicago Engagement NOW
f
PUBLISHERS
OF
V
p m fAMOiis fAvcwns]
literature. The first, called the "Dime Song
Book," was first published in 1859. It embraced
twenty numbers that came out periodically.
They were in salmon-colored covers and con-
tained sixty or seventy popular ballads of the
time.
The second series was the "One Cent Song
Book," of which nine different numbers are
known to exist.
The third series, "Beadle's Singers' Library,"
was much larger and more pretentious. This
series was begun in 1878 and continued into
1879, being published weekly. Each number con-
tained fifty or more songs of the day, altogether
a collection of two thousand songs popular with
Americans between forty and fifty years ago.
Jack Robbins, of Richmond-Robbins, Inc., who
for the past weeks has been touring the Middle
West, making Kansas City, Omaha and Minne-
apolis, has returned to Chicago, where he will
spend several weeks formulating a Western
campaign in behalf of his firm's catalog for the
Fall season. The following songs are to be
featured:
"Swanee Bluebird," "Baby Blue
Eyes," "Burning Sands" and "Old Fashioned
Girl." This latter song is still one of the fea-
tures of Al Jolson's "Bombo."
Kathleen Key, great-granddaughter of Fran-
cis Scott Key, who wrote "The Star-Spangled
Banner," has been engaged by Warner Bros,
to appear in the film version of F. Scott Fitz-
gerald's novel, "The Beautiful and Damned."
Arthur Tallman, who operates a publishing
firm at 245 West Forty-seventh street, New
York City, as well as writes the words and
music for songs, has just issued a new love song
entitled "When You, Dear Heart, Are Near."
JACK ROBBINS IN CHICAGO
Music Publisher to Spend Several Weeks in
Chicago in Connection With Fall Campaign
QTiree Hits that are sc
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Sherman May & Go.
San Francisco
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