Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American
lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment.
Royalties
A lyricist's incom ...
who contributed a number of songs to the
Great American Songbook
The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant early-20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes.
Definition
According to the Great American Songbook Foundation: The "Great American Songbook" i ...
Bruschied
Bruschied is an '' Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Kirner Land, who ...
, in the
Rhine Province
The Rhine Province (german: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. ...
of the
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...
, the son of Theresa (Mayer) and Isaac Kahn, a cattle farmer. The
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family emigrated to the United States and moved to
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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in 1890. After graduating from high school, he worked as a clerk in a mail order business before launching one of the most successful and prolific careers from
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It origin ...
. Kahn married Grace LeBoy in 1916 and they had two children, Donald and Irene.
In his early days, Kahn wrote special material for
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
. In 1913 he began a productive partnership with the well-established composer Egbert Van Alstyne, with whom he created several notable hits of the era, including "Memories" and, along with Tony Jackson, "Pretty Baby." Later, he began writing lyrics for composer and bandleader
Isham Jones
Isham Edgar Jones (January 31, 1894 – October 19, 1956) was an American bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter.
Career
Jones was born in Coalton, Ohio, United States, to a musical and mining family. His father, Richard Isham Jone ...
Doris Day
Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...
as his wife, Grace LeBoy Kahn.
Throughout the 1920s, Kahn continued to contribute to Broadway scores such as ''Holka Polka'' (1925), ''Kitty's Kisses'' (1926), ''Artists and Models'' (1927), '' Whoopee!'' (1928), and ''
Show Girl
A showgirl is a female dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show intended to showcase the performer's physical attributes, typically by way of revealing clothing, toplessness, or nudity.
History
Showgirls date back to the late 180 ...
'' (1929). He went on to write song lyrics for several movies, primarily for
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
Ziegfeld Girl
Ziegfeld Girls were the chorus girls and showgirls from Florenz Ziegfeld's theatrical Broadway revue spectaculars known as the '' Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), in New York City, which were based on the Folies Bergère of Paris.
Desc ...
''.
He also collaborated with co-lyricist
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...
Neil Moret
Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. ...
George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...
Edward Eliscu
Edward Eliscu (April 2, 1902 – June 18, 1998) was an American lyricist, playwright, producer and actor, and a successful writer of songs for films.
Life
Eliscu was born in Manhattan, New York City. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School i ...
Jerome Kern
Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...
,
Walter Jurmann
Walter Jurmann (October 12, 1903 - June 17, 1971) was an Austrian-born composer of popular music renowned for his versatility who, after emigrating to the United States, specialized in film scores and soundtracks.
Biography
Born in Vienna, Jurman ...
Harry Warren
Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...
, though his primary collaborator was Walter Donaldson.
He had a long friendship with Walter Donaldson. Their first collaboration was the song '' My Buddy'' in 1922. They went on to compose over one hundred songs together.
Death and legacy
Kahn died in Beverly Hills, California, on October 8, 1941, of a heart attack at age 54. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...
.
His catalog contained some of the greatest collections of songs from the first half of the 20th century, and it is for this reason that he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, nearly 30 years after his death. He was survived by his son, songwriter and musician Donald Kahn, who died at the age of 89 on April 11, 2008, in
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...
. His daughter, Irene, was married to Arthur Marx, the son of
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...
.
Gus Kahn's most famous songs include “ My Buddy" (1922) with music by Walter Donaldson; " It Had To Be You" (1924), with music by
Isham Jones
Isham Edgar Jones (January 31, 1894 – October 19, 1956) was an American bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter.
Career
Jones was born in Coalton, Ohio, United States, to a musical and mining family. His father, Richard Isham Jone ...
; and " Makin' Whoopee" (1928), with music by Walter Donaldson. Kahn was also the lyricist for the
Ted Healy
Ted Healy (born Charles Ernest Lee Nash; October 1, 1896 – December 21, 1937) was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. Though he is chiefly remembered as the creator of The Three Stooges and the style of slapstick comedy ...
/
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeare ...
short film ''
Beer and Pretzels
''Beer and Pretzels'' is the second of five short films starring Ted Healy and His Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard) released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on August 26, 1933. A musical-comedy film, the film also featured Bonnie Bonne ...
'' (1933), with music by Al Goodhart. Kahn has been incorrectly associated with the song " Side by Side", which has words and music by Harry Woods.
Kahn's papers are housed at the Great American Songbook Foundation.Danny Thomas played Kahn opposite
Doris Day
Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...
*"I Wish I had a Girl" (1907)
*"Everybody Rag with Me" (1914)
*" Memories" (1915)
*" Pretty Baby" (1916)
*"
So Long, Mother
"So Long, Mother" is a World War I era song released in 1917. Raymond B. Egan and Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics. Egbert Van Alstyne composed the music. The song was published by Jerome H. Remick & Co. of Detroit, Michigan. On the cover is a soldier ...
" (1917). m: Egbert Van Alstyne
*"Cherry Blossom" (1917). m: Harry Ramond
*"On the Road to Home Sweet Home" (1917). m: Egbert Van Alstyne
*"Scouting in the U.S.A" (1917). m: Edith Goodland Bartlett
*"For the Boys Over There" (1918). m: Egbert Van Alstyne
*"
What Are You Going to Do to Help the Boys?
"What Are You Going to Do to Help the Boys?" is a World War I era song released in 1918. Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics. Egbert Van Alstyne composed the music. It was published by Jerome H. Remick & Co. of Detroit, Michigan. Artist E.E. Walton design ...
For Your Boy and My Boy
"For Your Boy and My Boy" is a 1918 song composed by Egbert Van Alstyne, with lyrics written by Gus Kahn and published by Jerome H. Remick & Co. The song was performed by Al Jolson and later reached No. 4 on the top 100 US songs of 1918 with a c ...
Give a Little Credit to the Navy
"Give a Little Credit to the Navy" is a World War I song written by Buddy DeSylva & Gus Kahn and composed by Albert Gumble. This song was published in 1918 by Jerome H. Remick & Co., in Detroit, MI
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city ...
On the Alamo
"On the Alamo" is a 1922 composition by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn (under the nom-de-guerre of Gilbert Keyes) and Joe Lyons. Jones and his Orchestra recorded it at Brunswick Studios in New York City in February without a vocalist, as wa ...
Charley, My Boy
"Charley, My Boy" is a song with music by Ted Fio Rito and lyrics by Gus Kahn. The Russo-FioRito Oriole Orchestra introduced the song in 1924. The most popular recording was released by Eddie Cantor. The sheet music was published for voice and pi ...
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...
Theme from San_Francisco
"Theme from ''San Francisco''," also known as "San Francisco," is a song from the 1936 American film ''San Francisco''. It was written by Bronislaw Kaper and Walter Jurmann, with lyrics by Gus Kahn. It is sung by Jeanette MacDonald six times in ...
" (Music: Bronislaw Kaper and Walter Jurmann) ( San_Francisco (1936 film))
*"My Heart Is Singing" (Music: Bronislaw Kaper and Walter Jurmann) ( Three Smart Girls, 1936)
*"Someone to Care for Me" (Music: Bronislaw Kaper and Walter Jurmann) ( Three Smart Girls, 1936)
*"The Show Must Go On" (Music: Bronislaw Kaper and Walter Jurmann) ( Three Smart Girls, 1936)
*"Waltzing in the Clouds" (1940)
*" You Stepped Out of a Dream" (1940)
Further reading
* Donaldson, Walter and Gus Kahn. ''Vocal Selections from Whoopee!: A Musical Comedy.'' S.l., U.S.A.: Macmillan, 1979.
* Ewen, David. ''American Songwriters: An H.W. Wilson Biographical Dictionary.'' New York : H.W. Wilson, 1987.
* Furia, Philip. ''American Song Lyricists, 1920–1960.'' Detroit : Gale Group, 2002.
* Kahn, Gus. ''I'll See You in My Dreams.'' Warner Bros. Publications, 1989.
* Kahn, Gus, Bronislaw Kaper, and Walter Jurmann. ''To-Morrow Is Another Day.'' New York: Robbins Music Corp, 1937.
* Whorf, Michael. ''American Popular Song Lyricists: Oral Histories, 1920s–1960s.'' Jefferson, NC : McFarland, 2012.
Discography of American Historical Recordings
The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...