Maceo Pinkard (June 27, 1897 – July 21, 1962) was an American composer, lyricist, and music publisher. Among his compositions is " Sweet Georgia Brown", a popular standard for decades after its composition and famous as the theme of the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...

basketball team. Pinkard was inducted in the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984.

Biography

Pinkard was born in Bluefield, West Virginia to Mary Ellen Jimerson, educator, and G. Pinkard, a coal miner. He was educated at the Bluefield Colored Institute, class of 1913, and wrote his first major song ("I'm Goin' Back Home") one year later. He was one of the greatest composers of the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the ...

. In his early career he formed his own orchestra and toured throughout the US as the conductor. In 1914, at age 17, Pinkard founded the theatrical agency in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

and eventually founded Pinkard Publications, a music publishing firm 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 ...

. In 1917, he formed his own publishing firm, Maceo Pinkard Music, and began selling compositions to national publishing companies such as

Frank K. Root Frank Kimball Root (1856–1932) was a music publisher in Chicago and the proprietor of Frank K. Root & Co. His father, Ebenezer Towner Root, co-founded Root & Cady. Among the many notable songs published by the firm is "I Ain't Got Nobody". Bio ...

in Chicago and Leo Feist in New York. In late 1918, he was hired by the firm of Shapiro, Bernstein & Company in New York and the following year saw the publication of first big hit, "Mammy O'Mine." 1918 saw a flood of music related to the war. Pinkard composed with words and music "Don't Cry Little Girl, Don't Cry." The sentiment in the lyrics is universal for lovers who must part. He also wrote the words and music for ''Those Draftin' Blues''. In 1919, Pinkard moved to

. His best work was written during the decade 1921-1931. Primarily writing as the composer and lyricist, Pinkard's catalog includes such hit songs as "

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

", "Gimme a Little Kiss, Will Ya Huh?", "At Twilight", "

Them There Eyes "Them There Eyes" is a jazz song written by Maceo Pinkard, Doris Tauber, and William Tracey that was published in 1930. One of the early recorded versions was performed by Louis Armstrong in 1931. It was made famous by Billie Holiday, who recorded ...

" (1930), later recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939 on the OKeh label. This was one of the songs Holiday sang at the Storyville jazz club in Boston in 1952. "Sweet Georgia Brown" a number one Billboard hit in the summer of 1925, "Here Comes the Show Boat" (1927), "Sweet Man", "I'll Be a Friend (With Pleasure)", "Congratulations" (1929), "Is That Religion?", "Liza" (1922), "Lila", " There Must Be Somebody Else", "Okay Baby", "That Wonderful Boy Friend of Mine", "Let's Have a Showdown", "My Old Man" and "Mammy O' Mine" (1919).Shortly after his move to New York, he recorded his piano playing on several piano rolls (for the Republic and Connorized companies) which are the only known record of his playing. In 1930, his song "I'll Be A Friend with Pleasure", was recorded by a jazz band led by Bix Beiderbecke, with Gene Krupa and Benny Goodman among the sidemen. His famous music composition " Sweet Georgia Brown", lyrics by Kenneth Casey, was recorded by artists

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

(1928),

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and th ...

, The Beatles album '' Ain't She Sweet'' (1962), Cab Calloway (1931), Ray Charles (1961), Nat King Cole (1943), Bing Crosby (1927), Ella Fitzgerald (1956),

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but ad ...

(1967), Benny Goodman (1956), Harry James (1939), Carmen McRae (1964),

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

(1941),

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

(1947), Oscar Peterson (1945),

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

(1960),

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

(1963), and Ethel Waters (1923).

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

's introduction to the music industry began with Maceo Pinkard. Shortly after they met at Barron's nightclub, Pinkard took Ellington downtown and introduced him to the music publishing district. This area of Broadway, from 40th to 55th Streets, was known as Tin Pan Alley because of the cacophony of so many pianists playing different pieces of music in different keys. It was there that Ellington had his first meeting at Mills Music with younger brother Irving, who would later become his manager. Ellington recorded some of Pinkard compositions such as "Is That Religion?", " Sweet Georgia Brown", and "

Stage production

''Liza'' (1922)

Pinkard also wrote and produced the Broadway musical, comedy show ''Liza'' (from the book by Irvin C. Miller), which opened November 27, 1922 at Daly's 63rd Street Theatre,

. Ran for 172 performances (November 27, 1922 - April 21, 1923). Original Cast included

Emmett Anthony Emmett Anthony was a vaudeville comedian who appeared on stage in various revues and shows. In December 1915 he arrived in New Orleans on the ''S.S. Brunswick'' to perform at the Iroquis Theater. He was also in the film '' Son of Satan'' and was p ...

, Will A. Cook, Thaddius Drayton, Alonzo Fenderson,

Doe Doe Green Doe Doe Green (1889 - 1944) was a comic actor. A review of a 1922 performance of his with the Jack "Ginger" Wiggins company described him as a "popular neat dancing comedian". He portrayed Booker T in the 1931 film ''Enemies of the Law''. In the 19 ...

, R. Eddie Greenlee, Snippy Mason,

Irvin C. Miller Irvin Colloden Miller (February 19, 1884 – February 27, 1975) was an American actor, playwright, and vaudeville show writer and producer. He was responsible for successful theater shows including ''Broadway Rastus'' (1921), ''Liza'' (1922), ...

, Quintard Miller, Billy Mills, Packer Ramsey, Maude Russell, Gertrude Saunders, Margaret Simms, William Simms and Elizabeth Terrill. Lyrics and music by Maceo Pinkard: "Tag Day," "Pleasure," "I'm the Sheriff," "Liza," "Just a Barber Shop Cord," "Just a Barber Shop Cord," "That Brownskin Flapper," "On the Moonlit Swanee," "Essence," "Forget Your Troubles, "(I've Got Those) Runnin' Wild Blues," "Dandy," "My Creole Girl," "Planning," "Love Me," and "Don't Be Blue." Music popularized on disc by Zez Confrey and His Orchestra (Victor 19055), Albert E. Short's and His Tivoli Syncopators (Vocalion 14554), and the new Synco Jazz Band (Perfect 14104). Musical, Comedy, Original, Broadway
Description: A musical in two acts
Setting: Summer Time in Jimtown, South Carolina

''Review''

The Negro hit of the year, with book by Irving C. Miller and music by Maceo Pinkard, opened at Daly's 63rd Street Theater in November. "The dressing rooms, which were built for '' Shuffle Along,''" say Eubie Blake, "were completed just in time for ''Liza.''" A few months later ''Liza'' moved to the Nora Bayes Theater on 44th Street, and became the first Negro show to play Broadway proper during the regular season. (Only the summer months had been available for Negro productions heretofore, while the critics wondered why the shows were presented at such a hot time of the year.) ''Liza'' ran for 172 performances at a time when a run of one hundred was considered good. Maceo Pinkard died in

on July 19, 1962. Each year, Bluefield State College holds a weeklong festival in honor of its famous alumnus. In 1999, the Grammy nominated album '' The Love Movement'' by A Tribe Called Quest, included a sample of the 1920 Maceo Pinkard composition "Start It Up."

Film scores

Pinkard's compositions as a film score were used in a number of movies, which were compiled from previously written musical compositions. Partial list includes:

References

External links

Maceo Pinkard 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 ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pinkard, Maceo 1897 births 1962 deaths American male composers African-American songwriters People from Bluefield, West Virginia Bluefield State College alumni Songwriters from West Virginia Music of Omaha, Nebraska People from Omaha, Nebraska 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century African-American musicians American male songwriters