Percy Wenrich

Percy Wenrich ( born January 23, 1887 in Joplin, Missouri, † March 17, 1952 in New York) was an American composer of ragtime and popular music.

Wenrichs mother played the piano himself, and so he learned in his youth piano and organ. At 21 he went to the Chicago Music College. Even during the college years, he published his first compositions, and after graduation he composed as an employee of music publishing. He had initial success with ragtime pieces like Peaches and Cream and The Smiler. At the time, he also learned the vaudeville dancer Dolly Connolly, whom he married and with whom he went on tour. For them he also wrote the Red Rose Rag.

In 1909 she went to New York, where he worked on Tin Pan Alley. In the same year he had with Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet a big hit, selling over two million copies and brought (as Sheet music ) him to the top of the sheet charts. Other big hits were Moonlight Bay ( 1912) and When You Wore a Tulip and I Wore a Big Red Rose ( 1914). Particularly successful was his work with the songwriters Edward Madden and Jack Mahoney.

A brief excursion into the business as a music publisher in 1913 he gave up again because it left him little time for composing. After that, he wrote for the Vaudeville and authored 1914-1930 also several Broadway musicals. He wrote much for his wife, who was a successful recording artist and with which he appeared much in common.

After his wife became seriously ill, is also largely Wenrich moved back from composing. Among the most famous pieces from his later works Sail Along, silv'ry Moon, the 1937 hit for Bing Crosby belongs ( U.S. No. 4 ) and twenty years later, again a global Instrumentalhit for Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra ( Germany No. 1, USA Place 5) was.

Percy Wenrich died in 1952 in New York. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 posthumously.

Works

Known songs:

• Peaches and Cream ( Ragtime, 1905)
• The Smiler ( Ragtime, 1907)
• Sweetmeats ( Ragtime, 1907)
• Rainbow ( Text: Alfred Bryan, 1908)
• Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet (Text: Stanley Murphy, 1909)
• Silver Bell (Text: Edward Madden, 1910)
• Red Rose Rag ( Text: Edward Madden, 1911)
• Moonlight Bay (Text: Edward Madden, 1912)
• Snow Deer Rag ( text: Jack Mahoney, 1913)
• When You Wore a Tulip ( And I Wore a Big Red Rose) ( text: Jack Mahoney, 1914)
• Sweet Cider Time (Text: Joseph McCarthy, 1916)
• Sail Along, silv'ry Moon (Text: Harry Tobias, 1937)

Broadway musicals (selection):

• The Crinoline Girls ( Text: Julian Eltinge, 1914)
• The Right Girl ( Text: Raymond W. Peck, 1921)
• Castles in the Air ( Text: Raymond W. Peck / R. Locke, 1926/27 )