Con Conrad
| Con Conrad | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Conrad K. Dober |
| Born | June 18, 1891 |
| Origin | New York City, United States |
| Died |
September 28, 1938 (aged 47) Van Nuys, California, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter |
Con Conrad (né Conrad K. Dober; 18 June 1891 Manhattan, New York – 28 September 1938 Van Nuys, California) was an American songwriter and producer.
Biography
Conrad published his first song, "Down in Dear Old New Orleans", in 1912. Conrad produced the Broadway show The Honeymoon Express, starring Al Jolson, in 1913. By 1918, Conrad was writing and publishing with Henry Waterson (1873–1933). He co-composed "Margie" in 1920 with and J. Russel Robinson and lyricist Benny Davis, which became his first major hit. He went on to compose hits that became standards, including:
- "Palesteena" with co-composer and co-lyricist J. Russel Robinson (1920)
- "You've Got to See Mama Ev'ry Night" with co-composer and co-lyricist Billy Rose (1923)
- "Come on Spark Plug" with co-composer and co-lyricist Billy Rose (1923)
- "Memory Lane" with lyricist Buddy DeSylva and co-composer Larry Spier (1924)
- "Lonesome and Sorry" with lyricist Benny Davis (1926)
- "Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me" with lyricist Sidney Clare (1928)[1]
In 1923, Conrad focused on the stage and wrote the scores for the Broadway shows: The Greenwich Village Follies, Moonlight, Betty Lee, Kitty’s Kisses and Americana.[1] In 1924 the Longacre Theatre staged the small musical Moonlight, with a score by Conrad and William B. Friedlander. The next year Conrad and Friedlander's Mercenary Mary was presented at the Longacre.[2] In 1929 Conrad moved to Hollywood after losing all of his money on unsuccessful shows. There he worked on films such as: Fox Movietone Follies, Palmy Days, The Gay Divorcee and Here’s to Romance.[1]
Conrad received the first Academy Award for Best Song for The Continental in 1934 along with collaborator Herb Magidson. He died four years later in Van Nuys, California.[1]
His spouse was actress Francine Larrimore.
Conrad was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.[1]
Notes
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Con Conrad". Songwriters Hall of Fame. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ↑ Bloom, Ken (2007). The Routledge Guide to Broadway. Taylor & Francis. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-415-97380-9. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
External links
- Works by or about Con Conrad at Internet Archive
- Con Conrad at the Internet Movie Database
- Free scores by Con Conrad in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- Sheet Music for "Margie", Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co., 1920.