1935-02-19 — Page 27

Y

FORTUNE FROM SONGS

"MAN WHO MADE £16,000 A MINUTE

TRAGEDY OR ROMANCE

By PETER DAVIS

Music publishers are clamour- ing for fresh dance tunes with which to feed the hungry cars of danco restaurants, broadcasting, gramophones, and the theatre.

It is a fact that some of the moat revolutionary tunes of dance. band history come from unknown writers. Ten years ago two youngsters, Jim Campbell and Reg Connelly were in the train en route to London. Said Jim, "Reg, I'm fed up" Said Rog, Tim so'm I--- show me the way to go home!"

In ten minutes this casual phrase had been adapted to an old . Canadian Cumberland lumbor camp song. Confident of success, the two rented a baro little room in Britain's Tin Pan Alley, and published the sang themselves. Within six months their profits had amounted to £20,000. Even- tually they cleared up £50,000. Subsequent songa gained success equally meteoric.

SOME FAMOUS HITS

Dance music luck!

It was experienced by Billy I when he wrote "The Last Round- Up." At one time he was on the point of parting with his gold- mine for £5 to a gramophone com- pany. He hold on, and the song of this one-time tramdriver and dish-washer is now estimated to have sold more coples than "Yes,. We Ilave ng Bananas." "You Are My Heart's Delight" Iny neglected on a desk for ten years, Nobody expected very much when Ralph Butler, a poultry farmer. submitted "I'm Happy When, I'm Hiking" to the musical magnatos, but every errand boy was whistl Ing it with in a week of publica- tion. Frederick Norton hawked" the music of Chu Chin Chow" round West End theatre manage- ments for five years without a result. To-day the talking plc- ture of the great success is net- ting him another fortune,

An Iriah schoolmaster spent his last two-pence on a cup of tea, wrote a fragment of tune on a serap of paper and algned a con- tract for several songs few daya later. "The Barmald's Song" went round the world, and Jim-Kennedy within two years became an established composer.

£18,000 A MINUTE

#

Witness the romantic career of Tolchard Evans. Still in his ear- ly thirties, he commenced writing

at 14, achieved publication of a compoallion at 18, and then casually tapped out "Barcelona."

These things go la cycles. Not

many months previously a prac- tically unknown Spanish musician

THE HONGKONG } - TELEGRAPH. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1935.

Alternately singing hymos and cheering the officers and men of the ss. Tunachow, parents, relatives and the je children who safely experienced the latest and, perhaps 'mobil sensational piracy on the China Coast, were recently revailed. At the top left a group of the parenta, singing and calling to their children as the ship neared the wharf...Top right shows Stila Janet MacPherson and her father as she made her way to buses which were waiting to escort the children to the Mission Home. She is happily clutching a big basket in which her rabbits lived quite contentedly through the anxious days and nights. As left below la Mra, F. W. Baker At centre are Ethel and John Quimby being escorted down the prasting her children. Rosemary, Faith, and Phyllis Mary Bannan.

gangplank by their parents. At right-Mrs. H. M. Griffin with her son Mark and daughter. Fern.

As no words could describe, this picture gives a vivid idea of the extent of the damage done when three three-storeyed buildings were blown into the air simultaneously in an alley off Chekiang Road, Shanghai, last week. Blasted to a height of about 200 feet the buildings dropped perpendicularly again to the ground leaving scarsoly a stick standing. The exposion revealed the presence of a large plant for the manufacture of narcotics. Only two persons are known to have been killed.

had written in ning minutes a ing aweeper, mado, money with melody that was to be called "Weating the House," but he nover "Valencia, and was to bring In wrote another published song. A $10,000 for every minute spent Tyneside miner wrote a sung and on the song. Tolchard Evans flung up his job when it was! mado several hundred pounds accepted. Before very long he every time he struck a note when was waiting at the pit-head for thinking out "Barcelona," and the fresh work. additional fortunes he has made

Tragedy The tragedy of the with "Lady of Spain," "Life's printer's devil who sold for a Desire," and "Lady of Madrid" stingy £15 a song that was to go are beyond computation.

down in history, "Are we to Part

HUEY LONG SINGS A SONG

OUGHT TO STAY IN POLITICS

New Orleans. Feb. 14.

If sheet sales of music are fail-Like This, Bill?" Of an in- ing in these days, radio, gramo-surance clerk found dead of ex- phone, film and stage rights, both posure on the Thames Embank-1 Huey P. Long has joined the ment, another of the army who ranks of American music composera went to London seeking fortune

in this country and abroad, ars more than compensation.

Now composers are still appear-

ing. A sixteen-year-old Ipswich

in Tin Pan Alley-and failed.

SUCCESSFUL COMPOSERS

boy, Vittoria Zagai, has been able They do any that less than 50.

write

to think out an acceptable fox-men in this country can trot in the Intervale of hawking

money-making songs. One, is

eny,

ice-cream. Richard Dabaun, Harry Castling, who stepped on London waiter, began by persund-to the highway of success with ing dance band leaders to try out first attempt 44 years ago and has his tunes, and has now been in-since made thousands of pounds. vited to conduct the Bournemouth Another, needless to

is Municipal Orchestra in one of his Horatio Nicholls, one time nuaist- more aerious compositions.

ant in his fathor's music shop at Leicester, now the most prolific composer and publisher of them there is Montague all. Thon Ewing, composer of "Fairy on the "Moonlight on tho Clock,"

THE TRAGIC SIDE

On the other hand, you can't always tell, if the light but hard- working world of dance music has

its romances, It also witnesses Ganges," and other hits, who tragedy. The percentage of suc worked

Jn

cessful song-writers is low, and monger's, and

a draper's,

fish-

3 stockbroker's|

evon the lucky encs know that If office before he found his right their name is to be kept before vacation.

the public they must work day

after day, producing hundreds of Noel Gay, Robert Hargreaves, Peter Maurice, tunes in the course of a few years. Bruce Sevier,

Leslie Holmes, Leslie Sarony,

In one year, so a music publi-Vivian Ellis, and the rest-had shor assures me, 50,000 people they not distinguished themselves submit musical manuscripts in the in other fields, how many people hope of gaining fame and fortune. would recognise their names? 49,600 are returned. "with re-

grots," and 99 of every 100 lucky

Perhaps the strangest and most

ones are subsequently unable to tragic fact of all In Tin Pan keep the pacO.

Alley is that song euccess usually

G. H. Turner, a Manchester cross-means more fortune than fame.

with pubilention of a song titled Every Man a king, every man a after his book of the same name,king, for you can bo a millionaire. "Every Man a King." And just toj But there's something, belonging prove that it is a good song and to others, there's enough for all that he is a crooner of the first people to share- rank, the Kingfish hummed the dilty to newsmen who caught him in bed at the Roosevelt Hotel one morning recently.

The words of the song follow: "Why weep or slumber, America Innd of the brave and trus

With castlesm clothing and food for all,

All belongs to you." And the chorus goes:

When it's sunny June and December too or in winter time of Spring

Thore'll be peace, without end, (every neighbour a friend,

With every man a king-Ev'ry man a King."

Senator Long, one newspaperman suggests, can do better in politics- much better.-United Press,

Bridal party leaving Holy Trinity Cathedral in Shanghal, after the marriage of Mlas Violat Richards and Mr. Denis Fits Gerald Beare, which was attended by a large number of friends. The bride, who is the daughter of Mr. and Mra, C. Richards, of Shanzbal, is one of the most popular members of the younger set. The honeymoon is being spent in Nikko, Japan.

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