Ben Light

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Benjamin Bertram Leight, better known by his stage name Ben Light was an American pianist. He was born on April 23, 1893, in New York City. [1]

Light had a long career at the keyboard. He started playing the piano at the age of three without a teacher, and made his professional debut at the age of seven. For 15 years, he toured as a vaudeville pianist, performing with renowned figures such as Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Jack Benny and Sophie Tucker. [2] Known as a musical phenomenon, Ben Light was once timed playing 1,173 notes in a single minute. [3] Light was noted for his fast ragtime play and recorded over 100 piano compositions. [4] He claimed to have written "My Melancholy Baby" as a teenager, but did not copyright the work. [5] [6]

In the late 1930s, he recorded bawdy "party" records for a low-budget jukebox label. [7] He also toured with Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards in 1938. From the late 1940s to the mid-1950s, he made over 100 recordings for the Tempo, Capitol, and X labels, selling millions of records. [8]

Ben Light died of a heart attack on January 6, 1965, in Santa Monica, California at the age of 72. [9]

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References

  1. "BEN LIGHT DEAD; SONG WRITER Credited as Composer of 'My Melancholy Baby'". New York Times. January 9, 1965. p. 25. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  2. "World Deaths". The Washington Reporter. January 9, 1965. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  3. "Ben Light". saxonyrecordcompany.com.
  4. "Obituaries". Star News in Pasadena, California. January 9, 1965. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  5. Garber, Michael G. (June 28, 2021). My Melancholy Baby: The First Ballads of the Great American Songbook, 1902-1913. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN   9781496834317.
  6. ""My Melancholy Baby": Song history, Commentary, Discography, Performances on Video". greatamericansongbook.net.
  7. "Ben Light And His Surf Club Boys". Discogs.
  8. "The Speed Of Light". Proper Music.
  9. Bruce Peacock (January 11, 1965). "Stage and Screen". The Leader-Post, Regina, Sask. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-06-28.