Frances Jane van Alstyne, more commonly known as Fanny J. Crosby, was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. She was a prolific hymnist, writing more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, with more than 100 million copies printed. She is also known for her teaching and her rescue mission work. By the end of the 19th century, she was a household name.
John Francis Burke was an American lyricist, successful and prolific between the 1920s and 1950s. His work is considered part of the Great American Songbook.
George Frederick Root was a romantic American composer, who found particular fame during the American Civil War, with songs such as "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!" and "The Battle Cry of Freedom". He is regarded as the first American to compose a secular cantata.
"Aloha ʻOe" is a Hawaiian folk song written c. 1878 by Liliʻuokalani, who was then Princess of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It is her most famous song and is a common cultural symbol for Hawaii.
Eben Eugene Rexford was an American writer and poet, and author of lyrics to popular and gospel songs.
"My Melancholy Baby" is a popular song published in 1912 and first sung publicly by William Frawley. The music was written by Ernie Burnett (1884–1959), the lyrics by George A. Norton.
Henry Hart (1839–1915) was an American composer, singer, and violinist. He led the Henry Hart Minstrels, was proclaimed a "social necessity" in Indianapolis, Indiana, and was the leader of a family musical group that Emma Lou Thornbrough called "the best-known group of colored entertainers in the state."
Oliver Ditson was an American businessman and founder of Oliver Ditson and Company, one of the major music publishing houses of the late 19th century.
Root & Cady was a Chicago-based music publishing firm, founded in 1858. It became the most successful music publisher of the American Civil War and published many of the most popular songs during that war. The firm's founders were Ebenezer Towner Root (1822–1896) and Chauncey Marvin Cady.
"The First Gun Is Fired: May God Protect the Right" was the first song written specifically for the American Civil War. It was first published and distributed three days after the Battle of Fort Sumter. George F. Root, who wrote it the day before it first appeared in print, is said to have produced the most songs of anyone about the war, over thirty in total.
William Lewis & Son was a distinguished Chicago-based music store that specialized in violins and bows. The firm was founded in 1874. In 1995, the company was purchased by Selmer, and has since become a division of Conn-Selmer, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments.
"Cheer Up, Mother" is a World War I era song released in 1918. Mary Earl composed the music and wrote the lyrics. Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. of New York, New York published the song. Artist Albert Wilfred Barbelle designed the sheet music cover. It features a mother saying good-bye to her soldier son. It was written for both voice and piano.
"For Your Country and My Country" is a World War I era song released in 1917. Lyrics and music were written by Irving Berlin. The song was published by Waterson, Berlin & Snyder, Co. of New York, New York. Artist Albert Wilfred Barbelle designed the sheet music cover. It features Uncle Sam playing a snare drum with an eagle on his shoulder. In the background are ships sailing, and below are troops marching. Above the title, it reads, "The Official Recruiting Song." The song was written for voice and piano, along with chords for guitar, ukulele, and banjo.
Frank Kimball Root (1856–1932) was a music publisher in Chicago and the proprietor of Frank K. Root & Co. His father, Ebenezer Towner Root, co-founded Root & Cady. Among the many notable songs published by the firm is "I Ain't Got Nobody".
James Ramsey Murray (1841–1905) was an American composer and author including of songbooks. His work includes hymns and Christmas music and was published by Root & Cady as well as S. Brainard Sons. His work includes a popular arrangement of "Away in a Manger". He helped write "Daisy Deane" in an American Civil War camp.
Daisy Deane is an American ballad composed by Lieutenant T.F. Winthrop and James Ramsey Murray in an American Civil War camp. The music for it was published by Root & Cady. It has been recorded by the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble on the album The Arkansas Traveler: Music from Little House On the Prairie and on the 2016 album From the Parlor to the Prairie. The Library of Congress has a version published by S. Brainard's Sons. Grandpa Jones recorded a version of the song on King records in 1949. The song has also been recorded by Valerie Coates, Jason Andrews, Timothy O'Connor & Jeff Morrissey on the album From the Parlor to the Prairie.
Arthur Wells French (1846–1916) was a journalist from Connecticut who was also a successful songwriter of sentimental songs in the 1870s and 1880s. Born in Monroe, Connecticut, he moved to Bridgeport as a young man. He was inclined to write, especially songs and poetry, "and this natural bent early led him into a newspaper career." His most successful work may have been "Little Sweetheart" sung by minstrel tenor Dave Wambold, which sold "several hundred thousand...copies" of sheet music.
Thomas Payne Westendorf was an American songwriter, composer, and educator. Westendorf wrote around 500 musical pieces and songs, but was most famous for his hit song, "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen." It was the only Westendorf song that lived long enough to receive rights protection renewal. It was republished many times throughout the years and sung by singers including Elvis Presley, Mitch Miller, Bing Crosby, and Johnny Cash. "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" was listed among the most popular American ballads in 1887, and gained recognition as one of the most beloved songs in music history. It was included in a number of musical collections and used in motion pictures, including Mrs. Parkington and Magic Town. It even made a brief appearance on an early episode of "Star Trek".
Theodore Bendix or Theo. Bendix was an American composer, classical violinist, musical director, and opera conductor. He became a professional musician at the age of thirteen and was hired as a conductor for an opera company when he was sixteen. Before he was eighteen, he had written the music for the show, resulting in the hit song "My Sweetheart".
