Isham Edgar Jones (January 31, 1894 – October 19, 1956) was an American bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

Career

Jones was born in Coalton, Ohio, United States, to a musical and mining family. His father, Richard Isham Jones (1865–1945), was a violinist. The family moved to

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County, Michigan, Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, Michi ...

, where Jones grew up and started his first ensemble for church concerts. In 1911 one of Jones's earliest compositions "On the Alamo" was published by Tell Taylor Inc. ( Taylor had formed a publishing company the year before when his song "Down by the Old Mill Stream" became a hit.) In 1915 Jones moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

. He performed at the Green Mill Gardens, then began playing at Fred Mann's Rainbo Gardens. Chicago remained his home until 1932, when he settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. He also toured England with his orchestra in 1925. Isham Jones and his orchestra

In 1917, he composed the tune "We're In The Army Now" (also known as " You're In the Army Now") when the United States entered World War I. The same tune was popular during World War II and it is played by the U.S. Army Band. The Isham Jones band made a series of popular

gramophone record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...

s for Brunswick throughout the 1920s. His first 26 sides, made at Rainbo Gardens, were credited to "Isham Jones' Rainbo Orchestra". By the end of 1920, the name was simply "Isham Jones' Orchestra". He led one of the most popular dance bands in the 1920s and 1930s. His first successful recording, "

Wabash Blues "Wabash Blues", with words by Dave Ringle and music by Fred Meinken, was the first major success for pianist, saxophonist and song composer Isham Jones (1894–1956). Recorded in 1921 by Isham Jones and his Orchestra, this million-seller staye ...

" written by

Dave Ringle Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

and

Fred Meinken Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rodr ...

, was recorded in 1921. This million-seller stayed for twelve weeks in the U.S. charts, six at No. 1. It was awarded a gold disc by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

. Noted musicians who played in Jones's band included

Louis Panico Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewi ...

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conce ...

(although no records were made during the short time he was there),

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

Walt Yoder Walt Yoder (April 21, 1914 – December 2, 1978) was an American jazz double-bassist, best known for his association with Woody Herman. A piano player from age ten, Yoder switched to bass as a teenager. He worked in the bands of Joe Haymes, Tommy ...

, and Roy Bargy. Reed virtuoso Al Gallodoro appeared briefly with Jones in 1933, taking part in a record date October 3. From the start, his Brunswick records were popular. There was a gap from October 1927 to June 1929 where Jones did not record due to disbanding and reorganization. From 1929 to 1932, his Brunswick recordings became even more sophisticated with offbeat arrangements by

Gordon Jenkins Gordon Hill Jenkins (May 12, 1910 – May 1, 1984) was an American arranger, composer, and pianist who was influential in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s. Jenkins worked with The Andrews Sisters, Johnny Cash, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, L ...

and others; Jones was his own arranger early on, but cultivated others. During this period, Jones started featuring violinist Eddie Stone as one of his regular vocalists. Stone had an unusual, almost humorous tone to his voice. His other vocalists included Frank Sylvano, Billy Scott, and Arthur Jarrett. In 1932, he added Joe Martin, another of the band's violinists, as a frequent vocalist. In April that year, young

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

recorded two sessions with Jones's group which included " Sweet Georgia Brown". Crosby at this point in his career was still singing in a jazz idiom, transitioning to his better known "

crooner Crooner is a term used to describe primarily male singers who performed using a smooth style made possible by better microphones which picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to access a more dynamic ran ...

" style. In August 1932, Jones signed with Victor, and these records are considered among the best arranged and performed commercial dance band records of the Depression era. Victor's recording technique was suited to Jones' band. In October 1932, he teamed up with the Three X Sisters in New York who had just departed from CBS radio. They recorded "experimental" songs for RCA Victor in which Jones began to fuse jazz and early swing music. They recorded "Where? (I Wonder Where?)" and "What Would Happen to Me If Something Happened to You." His Victor releases had an almost symphonic sound, often with a strong use of tuba. During his Victor period, he recorded two long playing "Program Transcription" records as part of Victor's unsuccessful 33 1/3 RPM series. He stayed with Victor until July 1934, when he signed with Decca. Jones's recordings during this period rivaled

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...

Waring's Pennsylvanians Waring's Pennsylvanians was a dance band that was founded at Penn State University by Fred Waring. First named the Collegians, the group was formed in 1918 at Penn State by the brothers Fred and Tom Waring and their friends Freddy Buck and Poley ...

, Leo Reisman and other dance orchestras as examples of the most popular dance music of the era. Jones' Decca recordings are often unfavorably compared to his Victor recordings, due to Decca's recording techniques, Decca's insisting that Jones re-record many of his Victor recordings, and the apparent smaller size of his orchestra. After he left Decca in 1936, he again retired and his orchestra was taken over by band member

. Jones started a new band in 1937–38 and recorded a handful of sessions under the ARC labels: Melotone,

Perfect Perfect commonly refers to: * Perfection, completeness, excellence * Perfect (grammar), a grammatical category in some languages Perfect may also refer to: Film * Perfect (1985 film), ''Perfect'' (1985 film), a romantic drama * Perfect (2018 f ...

and

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. In the 1940s, Jones resided on his poultry farm in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, which he occasionally left for short tours with pickup bands. He later resided in

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. He moved to

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is no ...

in 1955, and died there of cancer in 1956. (He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents ac ...

, and perhaps for that reason is often erroneously listed as having died in Hollywood, ''California.'') His great-nephew was the now-deceased jazz drummer Rusty Jones.

Compositions

Isham Jones was the leader of one of America's most popular dance bands in the first half of the 20th century, between the two World Wars. His remarkable string of chart-topping compositions between 1922 and 1925, in collaboration with lyricist

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including "Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Go ...

, and later with Charles Newman, included eight number 1 records, an unequaled body of work for a full-time band leader. Each of the following selections peaked in the top ten, according to ''Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954''. The following songs were composed by Jones: * "Broken Hearted Melody" 1922; lyrics,

* "Feeling That Way" 1930 * "I Can't Believe It's True" 1932; lyrics, Charles Newman &

Ben Bernie Benjamin Anzelwitz, known professionally as Ben Bernie (May 30, 1891 – October 23, 1943),DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. ...

* "I'll Never Have to Dream Again" 1932; lyrics, Charles Newman * " I'll See You in My Dreams"; lyrics, Gus Kahn; #1 for seven weeks, Number 2 single for year 1925 * "I'm Tired of Everything but You" 1925 * " It Had to Be You"; lyrics, Gus Kahn; #1 for five weeks, Number 4 single for year 1924 * "My Castle In Spain" 1926 * "Never Again" 1924"; lyrics, Gus Kahn * "

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 ...

" ; lyrics, Gus Kahn; #1 for four weeks, Number 7 single for year 1922 * " The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)" 1924; lyrics, Gus Kahn * "Some Other Day, Some Other Girl"; lyrics, Gus Kahn; published by Milton Weil Music Co., Chicago. * "Spain" 1930; lyrics, Gus Kahn; #1 for two weeks, 1924 * " Swingin' Down the Lane"; lyrics, Gus Kahn – #1 six weeks, Number 2 single for year 1923 *

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...

w Isham Jones Orchestra - " The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)" 1924 * " There Is No Greater Love" 1936; lyrics, Marty Symes * "What's the Use?" 1930; lyrics, Charles Newman * "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever?" (another theme song) 1932; lyrics, Charles Newman * " We're In The Army Now" lyrics by Tell Taylor & Ole Olsen * "You're Just a Dream Come True" (his theme song) 1931; lyrics, Charles Newman * "You've Got Me Crying Again" 1933; lyrics, Charles Newman

Other Chart-topping recordings

This group were hits, but written by other composers: * " Kismet" Isham Jones Rainbo Orchestra Composer Herschel Henlere * "Make Believe" Isham Jones Orchestra 1920 w.

Benny Davis Benny Davis (August 21, 1895 - December 20, 1979) was a vaudeville performer and writer of popular songs. Biography Davis started performing in vaudeville in his teens. He began writing songs when working as an accompanist for Blossom Seeley ...

m. Jack Shilkret * "

" Composer Fred Meinken - #1 for six weeks, Number 2 single for year 1921 * "My Honey's Lovin' Arms" 1922 Herman Ruby-Joseph Meyer * "

The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise" is a post-World War I popular song, with lyrics by American actor Eugene Lockhart, and music composed by Canadian-born concert pianist Ernest Seitz in 1918. He later claimed he conceived the refrain when ...

" 1922 - composed by Raymond Roberts (psued. of Ernest Seitz) and lyrics by Gene Lockhart * " Who's Sorry Now?" 1923 - composed by Ted Snyder, lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. * "Someone Else Walked Right In" 1923 Irving Berlin *

w Isham Jones Orchestra - "Steppin' Out" John S. Howard, Con Conrad *

w Isham Jones Orchestra - " California Here I Come" Al Jolson, Bud DeSylva, Joseph Meyer #1 for six weeks, Number 2 single for year 1924 * " Nobody's Sweetheart" © Jack Mills, Inc., New York. Music, Billy Meyers & Elmer Schoebel, lyrics, Gus Kahn & Ernie Erdman *

w Isham Jones Orchestra - "I'm Goin' South" Abner Silver, Harry M. Woods * "My Best Girl" 1925 Walter Donaldson * " Riverboat Shuffle 1925 Dick Voynow-Hoagy Carmichael-Irving Mills * " Sweet Georgia Brown" 1925 Ben Bernie-Maceo Pinkard-Kenneth Casey * " Remember" Irving Berlin #1 one week, 1925 * " Original Charleston" (1925) Cecil Mack-James P. Johnson * "At Peace with the World" 1926 Irving Berlin * "It Made You Happy When You Made Me Cry" 1926 Walter Donaldson * "I Lost My Heart In Monterey (When I Found You)" 1926 Raymond Egan-Buddy Rose-Richard Whiting * "Together We Two" Isham Jones Orchestra with the Keller Sisters 1928 Irving Berlin * "

Stardust Stardust may refer to: * A type of cosmic dust, composed of particles in space Entertainment Songs * “Stardust” (1927 song), by Hoagy Carmichael * “Stardust” (David Essex song), 1974 * “Stardust” (Lena Meyer-Landrut song), 2012 * ...

" (1930) Hoagy Carmichael - one of the bestselling versions. Jones commissioned Victor Young to write a ballad instrumental of the mid-tempo tune and it was this arrangement (with Victor Young's violin solo) which became such a hit.

Mitchell Parish Mitchell Parish (born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky; July 10, 1900 – March 31, 1993) was an American lyricist, notably as a writer of songs for stage and screen. Biography Parish was born to a Jewish family in Lithuania, Russian Empire in July 19 ...

wrote lyrics for the song at this time. * "Lonesome Lover" 1931 Alfred Bryan, James V. Monaco * "

Snuggled on Your Shoulder (Cuddled in Your Arms) "Snuggled on Your Shoulder (Cuddled in Your Arms)" is a popular song with music by Carmen Lombardo and lyrics by Joe Young, published in 1932. 1932 recordings *Bing Crosby recorded the song on January 21, 1932 and it was released on Brunswick 624 ...

" 1932 Joe Young, Carmen Lombardo * "My Silent Love" 1932 Edward Heyman and Dana Suesse * " Everyone Says I Love You" 1932 Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar * "A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet" 1932 Gus Kahn, Harry Woods * " It Isn't Fair" 1933 Richard Himber, Frank Warshauer, Sylvester Sprigato * "Shadows on the Swanee" 1933 Johnny Burke, Harold Spina, Joe Young * "

Over Somebody Else's Shoulder "Over Somebody Else's Shoulder" is a hit song written by Al Sherman & Al Lewis in 1934 at the end of the Tin Pan Alley era. It was introduced by singer and bandleader, Ozzie Nelson who enjoyed great success with the song. It was further covered b ...

" 1934 Al Sherman, Al Lewis * "Neighbors" 1934 Charles O'Flynn, James Cavanaugh, Frank Weldon * "

For All We Know For or FOR may refer to: English language *For, a preposition *For, a complementizer *For, a grammatical conjunction Science and technology * Fornax, a constellation * for loop, a programming language statement * Frame of reference, in physics ...

" 1934 Sam M. Lewis, J. Fred Coots

Discography

* ''Happy: The 1920 Rainbo Orchestra Sides'' ( Archeophone, 2014) * ''Song of the Blues (1923-1932)'' (Rivermont Records, 2008) *''Shadows on the Swanee (1932-1934)'' (Rivermont Records, 2013)

Honors

* 1989 – Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame * 2007 – "It Had to Be You" inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame

References

Bibliography

* ''The Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz 1900–1950''. Roger D. Kinkle: Arlington House Publishers, 1974,

External links

*
Isham Jones recordings
at the

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 ...

. *
Isham Jones and his Orchestra
Red Hot Jazz Archive

Archeophone Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Isham 1894 births 1956 deaths American bandleaders Big band bandleaders American male violinists American male saxophonists Songwriters from Ohio Musicians from Saginaw, Michigan People from Jackson County, Ohio Vocalion Records artists Brunswick Records artists Victor Records artists Decca Records artists 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American violinists 20th-century American saxophonists Songwriters from Michigan Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male musicians American male songwriters