Stomp Off 1001 - Dickbaker.org

Ponce, also pub. Ager, Yellen & Bornstein1928; same credits for the copy in IndianaState Univ. library. And Songwriters Hall ofFame entry for Yellen attributes it to him plusPonce & Dougherty. And then there’s this bitof international intelligence: The label of thisrecording by Vivien Lambelet and Padbury’sCosmo Six recording of the song on Curry 198in 1929 (how did Rust miss this?) creditsYellen, Ponce, Dougherty. And a very detailedBing Crosby discography credits theWhiteman recording to Yellen-Ponce-Dougherty.OK, I give up: Somehow or other, Yellen gothis name on there very early on.Ida! Sweet As Apple Cider(Eddie Munson–Eddie Leonard)Ian Whitcomb & Dick Zimmerman 1049Thompson, Smith & DeVore 1116Des Plantes’ Washboard Wizards 1174Yerba Buena Stompers 1375Canary Cottage Dance Orchestra 1400ASM confirms, 1930, Edward B. Marks.Idawanna (Newell Chase)Frederick Hodges 1333Confirmed by 5/2/29 copyright reg.Idle Hour Special (Jimmy Blythe)South Side Jazz Serenaders 1420Rec. Jimmy Bertrand’s Washboard Wizardswith Blythe 9/16/26, Vocalion 1060. Confirmed5/11/27 copyright reg.Idolizing (Sam Messenheimer–Irving Abrahamson–Ray West)Bruno’s Salon Band 1251John Gill’s Novelty Orchestra 1270Barbara Rosene & Her New Yorkers 1393Confirmed ASM, 1926 West Coast Music.If Dreams Come True(Edgar Sampson–Benny Goodman–Irving Mills)Louis Mazetier & Neville Dickie 1289Paris Washboard 1326Oops, 1st copyright isIf dreams come true; pf. with w. © 1 c. Dec.28, 1933; E unp. S1156; Edgar MelvinSampson.Later, still just Sampson:If dreams come true; by Edgar Sampson; pf.© Nov. 9, 1934; E pub. 44736; Milsonsmusic pub. corp., New York.But I found a “professional copy” published inEngland, that says music Sampson &Goodman, lyrics Mills. Wikipedia article onSampson mentions this song, co-creditsGoodman Mills. And just about all online refscredit all three, so how can we document it?Guess we better look for record labels:Chick Webb, 1/15/34, Columbia CB-754,2883-D. (CB-754 label credits just Sampson)Goodman, 12/14/37, MGM E/X-3789, C-807,C-6078; Verve V/V6-8582. Wait a minute:found Goodman version on Canadian Victor,and it credited just Sampson.Chick Webb again, 12/17/37, Decca 1716;Brunswick 02793, A-82202; Polydor A-61260. (Well, Decca 1716 also credits justSampson)Bobby Hackett, 2/16/38, Vocalion/OKeh 4047.James P. solo, 6/14/39, CBS CL-1780 & otherLP issues.Artie Shaw, 2/15/38, Thesaurus 500, 1143(EPs?)Something odd, though: I keep running intomentions of Billie Holiday recording this song,but it’s not in Rust. Is hers the one that creditsall three? What label & when?Aha, here’s the answer: Although Rustdoesn’t list it (possibly because it was done asan encore), “If Dreams Come True” was one ofthe tunes played at Goodman’s famousJanuary1938 Carnegie Hall concert. Thatoverwhelmingly famous performance waswhere it was listed as Sampson-Goodman-Mills and it has carried that credit ever since.AND at about the same time as the CarnegieHall concert, Billie Holiday recorded it onBrunswick 8053 with Teddy Wilson with creditsto all three. Between Goodman and Holiday,the triple credit would have erased all memoryof the original Sampson-only credit.So there’s your chronology: Edgar Sampsonwrote it with lyrics in 1934; it was recorded byChick Webb in 1934 and 1937, and byGoodman in 1937, all credited properly toSampson; but then Goodman put it in his 1938Carnegie Hall concert with additional musicalcredit to himself and lyrics credit to Irving Mills,and Billie Holiday recorded it the same way atthe same time, and that 1938 version has beenthe one that has dominated ever since. Alas,we must submit to the King of Swing, althoughit pains me.If Ever I Cease to Love(George Leybourne)Acker Bilk & Ken Colyer 1119Albion JB 1206What the heck? The credit on both recordingsis just Connoly. Yet in 2013 review I foundHarry Y. Owen-Dave Frank-John P. Robichauxhere in the index with no idea how it got there.Well, here’s the answer, from the 1936copyright book:If ever I cease to love; w D. Frank and H. Y.Owen, melody J. P. Robichaux. © 1 c. Jan.22, 1936; E unp. 116829; Dave F'rank, HarryY. Owen and John P. Robichaux, NewOrleans.But when I googled the title, the very first hitwas this, from the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Feb. 20, 2009, by Maria C. Montoya:"If Ever I Cease to Love" has been theroyal anthem of the Rex organization sinceits first procession in 1872. . . . Firstpublished in 1871 in England, the sheetmusic identified it as a "Comic Song" written,composed and sung by George Leybourneof Newcastle. Leybourne, also known as"Champagne Charlie, " is not exactly alegend in the annals of music history -- hisclaim to fame possibly the fact he wrote"The Daring Young Man on the FlyingTrapeze." . . .According to research published in ArthurHardy's 1989 Mardi Gras Guide, the songwas pirated in New York, by a performernamed Lydia Thompson, who made it partof her highly successful burlesque showBlue Beard, which went on tour around thecountry. A songbook of her most popularsongs, titled If Ever I Cease to Love, waspublished.Coincidentally, she and her troupe wereperforming in New Orleans at the time of thefirst Rex parade.The song and composer are for real, I evenfound an 1873 sheet music cover for it. Thearticle above and others talk at length abouthow its lyrics are repeatedly updated/changedto suit the season. One site presenting lyricsfor it says,If Ever I Cease To Love - comic song byGeorge Leybourne circa 1870, Published byWhite, Smith & Perry, Boston, MA. Thisparticular set of lyrics is from a 1946"Souvenir Edition" published by DaveFrank, New Orleans.All the New Orleans sites that deal with this(and there are many of them) agree onLeybourne c. 1970, not one of them mentionsthe chaps in our copyright. This is akin to theseveral different copyrights I found for“Frankie & Johnny”: Anybody’s free tocopyright their own arrangement or lyrics,although that’s normally done with folk songsof uncertain heritage, not with publishedsongs.So we must dismiss our crew as Johnnies,Harrys and Daves come lately and installLeybourne on his rightful Rex throne.Be we still have to wonder where Connolycame from..