Phil Ohman (October 7, 1896 – August 8, 1954) was an American
film composer and pianist. He is most well known for his collaboration with fellow musician
Victor Arden in the 1920s and 1930s.
Biography
Ohman was born Fillmore Wellington Ohman in
New Britain, Connecticut
New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol ...
in 1896. He is remembered as being one half of one of the pre-eminent piano duos in the 1922-1932, paired with
Victor Arden.
They were the pit pianists in many of
George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...
's musicals, and recorded hundreds of
piano rolls
A piano roll is a music storage medium used to operate a player piano, piano player or reproducing piano. Piano rolls, like other music rolls, are continuous rolls of paper with holes punched into them. These perforations represent note control d ...
and records. Starting in mid 1927, just as they signed to
Victor Records, they developed a large studio orchestra specializing in Broadway show songs that became quite popular. These particular records employed a rather large, brassy powerful sound (it is not known who they used as arranger), always with a space for a twin piano duet section.
Ohman died in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
on August 8, 1954.
Partial filmography
*''Try and Play It'' (1922)
*''Up and Down the Keys'' (1922)
*''Piano Pan'' (1922)
*''Sparkles'' (1935)
*''The Renegade Trail'' (1939)
*''
Captain Caution'' (1940)
*''The Roundup'' (1941)
* ''
Sweethearts of the U.S.A.'' (1944)
*''
Dick Tracy vs. Cueball'' (1946)
*''
Million Dollar Weekend'' (1948)
See also
*
List of ragtime composers
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Phil Ohman recordingsat the
Discography of American Historical Recordings.
*
1896 births
1954 deaths
20th-century American composers
American film score composers
American pop pianists
American male pianists
American male film score composers
Ragtime composers
Ragtime pianists
20th-century American pianists
20th-century American male musicians
{{US-composer-19thC-stub