This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1929.
Christopher M. Smith was an American composer and popular vaudeville performer.
Isham Edgar Jones was an American bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter.
Henry Louis Reginald De Koven was an American music critic and prolific composer, particularly of comic operas.
Percy Wenrich was an American composer of ragtime and popular music.
"The Teddy Bears' Picnic" is a song consisting of a melody by American composer John Walter Bratton, written in 1907, and lyrics added by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy in 1932. It remains popular as a children's song, having been recorded by numerous artists over the decades. Kennedy lived at Staplegrove Elm and is buried in Staplegrove Church, Taunton, Somerset, England. Local folklore has it that the small wooded area between the church and Staplegrove Scout Hut was the inspiration for his lyrics.
Arthur Francis Collins was an American baritone who was one of the most prolific and beloved of pioneer recording artists, regarded in his day as "King of the Ragtime Singers".
"The Laughing Policeman" is a music hall song recorded by British artist Charles Penrose. It is based on a similar laughing song by American singer George W. Johnson with the same tune but different subject matter, recorded in 1898.
Nicanor Santa Ana Abelardo was a Filipino composer known for kundiman songs he wrote before the Second World War.
Theodore F. Morse was an American composer of popular songs.
"Someone to Watch Over Me" is a 1926 song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, assisted by Howard Dietz who penned the title. It was written for the musical Oh, Kay! (1926), with the part originally sung on Broadway by English actress Gertrude Lawrence while holding a rag doll in a sentimental solo scene. The musical ran for more than 200 performances in New York and then saw equivalent acclaim in London in 1927, all with the song as its centerpiece. Lawrence released the song as a medium-tempo single which rose to #2 on the charts in 1927.
The "Black and White Rag" is a 1908 ragtime composition by George Botsford.
Frank La Forge was an American pianist, vocal coach, teacher, composer and arranger of art songs.
"Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" is a song with words by Jessie Brown Pounds and music by John Sylvester Fearis, written in 1897. The song gained huge popularity when it was used in William McKinley's funeral. It was subsequently a staple at funerals for decades, and there are dozens of recorded versions.
Lyons and Yosco were an American comedy duo, consisting of Italian American musicians George Lyons and Bob Yosco. They were defined by the Ottawa Evening Journal "the finest pair of Italian street musicians playing in the Vaudeville ranks." They toured the United States from 1909 into 1923, doing a musical and comedy act. The News Journal described their performance, saying they were "the best vocalists and instrumentalists of the street variety on the stage, proved intensely interesting, while their droll comedy kept the audience laughing much of the time."
Felix F. Feist was a lyricist and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executive. He wrote the lyrics for songs in several Broadway shows. Leo Feist was his brother, Felix E. Feist was his son, and Raymond E. Feist is his grandson. Several of the songs he wrote the lyrics for became prominent. "Strolling 'Long the Pike" was a song set at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. Ada Jones recorded the song "Bull Frog & Coon" in 1906 for Edison Records. It was also recorded by the Five Brown Brothers in 1911. Feist wrote the lyrics for the song now known as "Skidamarink", a popular children's song.
Joel P. Corin was a composer in the United States. Several songsheet collections include his work. Felix F. Feist wrote the lyrics to some of his songs. His song "The Old Barn Dance" was recorded by the Victor Dance Orchestra.
Coon, Coon, Coon is a "coon song" from 1900. The words were written by Gene Jefferson and the music by Leo Friedman. The lyrics are about an African American concerned with his appearance including his skin color and hair type while not being accepted by a woman. He makes efforts to acquire Caucasian characteristics but fails and is called out. Songsheet cover for the music include caricatured African American faces and a photograph of minstrel performers of the song inset.
Joesph Natus was an American minstrel performer and recording artist who was prominent during the early 20th century. He was a tenor.
Tom Lemonier was an actor and composer of popular music during the ragtime era, particularly active in Black Vaudeville. His work featured in various musicals. Some of his work was published by the Gotham-Attucks Music Publishing Company. Numerous recordings of his songs were made including on Victor Records and Columbia Records. In 1909 he joined the staff of music publisher Rose & Snyder.
