Will D. Cobb

Will D. Cobb (July 6, 1876 – January 20, 1930) was an American lyricist and composer. He had a writing partnership with Ren Shields that produced many popular musicals and musical comedies at the start of the 20th century. He also had a long time collaboration with Gus Edwards.^[1][2]

Will D. Cobb - 1906

Personal life

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 6 July 1876,^[2] he apparently went to Girard College in Philadelphia. He grew up in Philadelphia, but lived several decades in New York City.^[3] Before becoming a songwriter, he worked as a salesman in a department store.^[1] He died in New York City in 1930, and was buried in Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.^[3]

Career

Cobb was a prolific lyricist and composer in the early 1900s. His career spanned from approximately 1901 through the late 1920s. Early in his career, he collaborated with Ren Shields, best known for his hit, In the Good Old Summer Time. Over the course of his career, he worked with Buddy DeSylva, George Gershwin, Harry Ruby, and Earl Carroll, among others. His chief collaborator was Gus Edwards.

He is responsible for writing the line still sung by schoolchildren in the United States, "School days, school days; dear old golden rule days. Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic; taught to the tune of a hick'ry stick," which came from his song, School Days, published in 1907.^[4]

Cobb, along with Paul Barnes (music), penned the lyrics to the US & British wartime song Goodbye Dolly Gray in the late 1800s. In the early 1900s, the song was adopted with re-written lyrics, as the theme song for the Australian Football League club, Collingwood.^[5][6]

Productions

Broadway

• Tintypes — Musical revue featuring songs by Will D. Cobb — Oct 23, 1980 - Jan 11, 1981^[2]
• The French Doll — Musical with lyrics by Will D. Cobb — Feb 20, 1922 - Jun 03, 1922^[2]
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1913 — Musical revue with additional music by Will D. Cobb — Jun 16, 1913 - Sep 06, 1913^[2]
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1910 — Musical revue featuring songs by Will D. Cobb — Jun 20, 1910 - Sep 03, 1910^[2]
• The Boys and Betty — Musical featuring songs with lyrics by Will D. Cobb — Nov 2, 1908 - Feb 6, 1909^[2]
• School Days — musical, lyrics for Sunbonnet Sue by Will D. Cobb — Sep 14, 1908 - Oct 10, 1908^[2]
• The-Merry-Go-Round — musical comedy, lyrics to The Shop Window Girls by Will D. Cobb — Apr 25, 1908 - Jul 18, 1908^[2]
• A Parisian Model — musical comedy with interpolated songs by Will D. Cobb — Jan 6, 1908 - Jan 25, 1908^[2]
• His Honor the Mayor — musical comedy revival with music by Cobb and Shields — Nov 25, 1907 - Dec 7, 1907^[2]
• Hip! Hip! Hooray! — musical comedy, lyrics for You'll Never Know What Love Is Until I Love You by Will D. Cobb — Oct 10, 1907 - Dec 7, 1907^[2]
• The Gay White Way — musical revue featuring Dixie Dan by Will D. Cobb — Oct 7, 1907 - Jan 4, 1908^[2]
• The Girl Behind the Counter — musical comedy featuring The Cherry in the Glass by Will D. Cobb — Oct 1, 1907 - Jun 6, 1908^[2]
• Ziegfeld Follies of 1907 — musical revue featuring songs with lyrics by Will D. Cobb — Jul 8, 1907 - Nov 10, 1907^[2]
• His Honor the Mayor — musical comedy with music by Cobb and Shields — Jun 3, 1907 - Jun 15, 1907^[2]
• A Parisian Model — musical with additional numbers by Mr. Cobb — Nov 27, 1906 - Jun 29, 1907^[2]
• About Town — musical revue, with additional lyrics by Will D. Cobb — Nov 15, 1906 - Dec 29, 1906^[2]
• His Honor the Mayor — musical with Music by Cobb and Shields — Sep 17, 1906 - Sep 29, 1906^[2]
• About Town — musical revue with additional numbers by Will D. Cobb — Aug 30, 1906 - Nov 10, 1906^[2]
• His Honor the Mayor - musical comedy with additional lyrics by Cobb and Shields — May 28, 1906 - Aug 25, 1906^[2]
• Woodland — musical, featuring songs with lyrics by Will D. Cobb — Nov 21, 1904 - Aug 1905^[2]
• Mrs. Black Is Back musical, featuring songs with lyrics by Will D. Cobb — Nov 07, 1904 - Apr 01, 1905^[2]
• The Wizard of Oz — songs with Gus Edwards — Mar 21, 1904 - Nov 25, 1905^[2]
• The Medal and the Maid — musical comedy — lyrics for "In Zanzibar" by Will D. Cobb — Jan 11, 1904 - Mar 1904^[2]
• Mr. Bluebeard — musical, with additional numbers by Will D. Cobb — Jan 21, 1903 - May 16, 1903^[2]
• The Wizard of Oz — songs with Gus Edwards — Jan 20, 1903 - Oct 03, 1903^[2]
• The Supper Club — musical comedy, music & lyrics by Will D. Cobb — Dec 23, 1901 - Jan 25, 1902^[2]
• The Strollers — musical comedy, additional lyrics by Will D. Cobb — Jun 24, 1901 - Aug 31, 1901^[2]

Songs

• Goodbye Dolly Gray — ca. 1900^[5][7]
• I Love Only One Girl in the Wide, Wide World, with Gus Edwards — 1903^[8]
• The Tale of a Cassowary^[9]
• Johnnie I'll Take You
• I'll Never Love Another Love Like I Love You
• School Days (When We Were A Couple of Kids), with Gus Edwards — 1907^[10]
• Sunbonnet Sue, with Gus Edwards - 1908

References

1. "Will D. Cobb Biography". imdb.com. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
2. "Will D. Cobb". ibdb.com. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
3. "William "Will" D. Cobb, songwriter". Retrieved 29 January 2014.
4. "Quotation by Will D. Cobb". dictionary.com.
5. "Goodbye Dolly Gray". FirstWorldWar.com. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
6. "Club Songs". AFL.
7. "Goodbye Dolly Gray". International Lyrics Playground. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
8. "I love only one Girl in this wide, wide World". Amazon.com. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
9. "Music from the Wizard of Oz Stage Show". Library of Congress. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
10. "School Days, School Days". National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Retrieved 29 January 2014.

External links

• Works written by or about Will D. Cobb at Wikisource
• Media related to Will D. Cobb at Wikimedia Commons