Roger A. Graham (12 June 1885 – 25 October 1938) was an American lyricist, composer, singer, and music publisher who flourished from 1906 to 1920 — a period that included

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the golden age of

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. Originally ...

(from about 1915 to 1920), the dawn of the

Jazz Age The Jazz Age was a period from 1920 to the early 1930s in which jazz music and dance styles gained worldwide popularity. The Jazz Age's cultural repercussions were primarily felt in the United States, the birthplace of jazz. Originating in New O ...

''(

circa Circa is a Latin word meaning "around, approximately". Circa or CIRCA may also refer to: * CIRCA (art platform), in London * Circa (band), a progressive rock supergroup * Circa (company), an American skateboard footwear company * Circa (contempora ...

'' 1914), and the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era. Graham was a proponent of

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

and

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

songs. But as a lyricist and publisher, Graham is most remembered for having been an exponent of

blues songs Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple ...

. From about 1914 to 1919, Graham's success and popularity as lyricist and publisher led to close friendships with stars of the stage and silent screen —

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

Sophie Tucker Sophie Tucker (born Sofia Kalish; January 13, 1886 – February 9, 1966) was a Russian-born American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popula ...

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era. Some of h ...

, and many others. But after failing to have a hit as a writer or publisher for three or four years, and a year after the start of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

, Graham quit writing music and publishing in 1921 and took a job as a department manager at Mandell Brothers, a large department store. In 1938, nine years after the Wall Street Crash and in the throes of

the Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank an ...

, Graham died alone and penniless in the

Cook County Hospital The John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County (shortened ''Stroger Hospital'', formerly Cook County Hospital) is a public hospital in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is part of Cook County Health, along with Provident Hospital of Cook Cou ...

charity ward, reportedly unknown to those attending him and without any kin or friend mourning at his side. Graham's remains would have been

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and object ...

in a

pauper's grave A potter's field, paupers' grave or common grave is a place for the burial of unknown, unclaimed or indigent people. "Potter's field" is of Biblical origin, referring to Akeldama (meaning ''field of blood'' in Aramaic), stated to have been pur ...

were it not for an alert attendant at the Cook County Morgue, who, after recognizing his name on a list, contacted a sister, Elizabeth (Mrs. Lawrence Joseph Mulhearn; 1887–1982) of

Bronxville, New York Bronxville is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States, located approximately north of Midtown Manhattan. It is part of the Adminis ...

, and his ex-wife of eight years, May Olivette Hill (1888–1978) of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. According to Hill, his lyrics from "

I Ain't Got Nobody "I Ain't Got Nobody" (sometimes referred to as "I'm So Sad and Lonely" or "I Ain't Got Nobody Much") is a popular song and copyrighted in 1915. It was first recorded by Marion Harris, and became a perennial standard, recorded many times over the ...

", and other melancholy songs that made him popular, seemed to foreshadow his decline and ensuing loneliness.

Federal court case

Graham's firm, Roger Graham Music Publisher, published the "

Livery Stable Blues "Livery Stable Blues" is a jazz composition copyrighted by Ray Lopez (''né'' Raymond Edward Lopez; 1889–1979) and Alcide Nunez in 1917. It was recorded by the Original Dixieland Jass Band on February 26, 1917, and, with the A-side and B-side, ...

". It was recorded in 1917 by the

Original Dixieland Jass Band The Original Dixieland Jass Band (ODJB) was a Dixieland jazz band that made the first jazz recordings in early 1917. Their "Livery Stable Blues" became the first jazz record ever issued. The group composed and recorded many jazz standards, the ...

on the Victor label and is widely acknowledged as the first commercially recorded jazz. It was the first recording to sell a million records and its success established jazz as a popular genre. During production, Victor executives re-titled the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of Victor 18255 as "Barnyard Blues" in an effort to avoid offending target audiences with a seemingly vulgar title. Due to a labeling error, however, the record itself retained the band's original title. In June 1917, Roger Graham published "

", attributing the composition to

Alcide Nunez Alcide Patrick Nunez (March 17, 1884 – September 2, 1934), also known as Yellow Nunez and Al Nunez, was an American jazz clarinetist. He was one of the first musicians of New Orleans to make audio recordings. Biography Alcide Patrick Nunez ...

(clarinetist) and Ray Lopez (cornetist; ''

né The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Raymond Edward Lopez; 1889–1970), who were

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

jazz community colleagues. Months later,

Leo Feist Leopold Feist (January 3, 1869, New York City or Mount Verson, New York – June 21, 1930, Mount Vernon, New York) was a pioneer in the popular music publishing business. In 1897, Feist founded and ran a music publishing firm bearing his name. In ...

published virtually the same music under the title "

Barnyard Blues "Livery Stable Blues" is a jazz composition copyrighted by Ray Lopez (''né'' Raymond Edward Lopez; 1889–1979) and Alcide Nunez in 1917. It was recorded by the Original Dixieland Jass Band on February 26, 1917, and, with the A side "Dixieland ...

", attributing the composition to

Nick LaRocca Dominic James "Nick" LaRocca (April 11, 1889 – February 22, 1961), was an American early jazz cornetist and trumpeter and the leader of the Original Dixieland Jass Band, who is credited by some as being "the father of modern jazz". He is th ...

, the director of the

ODJB The Original Dixieland Jass Band (ODJB) was a Dixieland jazz band that made the first jazz recordings in early 1917. Their "Livery Stable Blues" became the first jazz record ever issued. The group composed and recorded many jazz standards, the m ...

and cornetist on the

recording. Publishing it landed Graham in federal court with a charge of pirating the theme — Max Hart ''(né, phonetic:'' Numkovsky; 1874–1950), manager for

, ''

et al. References Notes References Further reading * * External links * {{Latin phrases E ...

v.'' Roger Graham (1917). Graham won acquittal after Judge George A. Carpenter asked Nunez to define the blues, whereupon he made his famous reply: "Judge, blues is blues — a little off key but harmony against the rules". The judge ruled that the blues could not be copyrighted, resulting in neither party having a copyright. The judge also expressed doubt that musicians unable to read or write music could be said to have ''composed'' anything.

Career highlights

Rhode Island : Graham was a graduate of dental college. : A 1900 US Census lists Roger Graham as an office boy in Providence, living with his family at 320 Dyer Street. A 1907 City Directory lists Roger A. Graham as a song writer residing in

Wickford, Rhode Island Wickford is a small village in the New England town, town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, North Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States, which is named after Wickford in Essex, England. Wickford is located on the western side of Narragansett B ...

, on Champlain Street, near Phillips Street. First marriage : On June 1, 1906, Graham married Bessie H. (''née'' Spink; 1883–1969) in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, who was born and raised in

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. Records indicate that she had been divorced twice before remarrying (in 1916) her third and final husband, Frederick Charles Gilbert (1891–1944), a pharmacists from

. The 1910 US Census lists Roger and Bessie as being married. Roger and Bessie apparently divorced sometime between 1910 and 1914, because Roger became engaged to May Hill in 1914. Move from Providence to Chicago in 1910 : According to the 1910 US Census, taken April 26 and 29, 1910, Roger and Bessie were married and living in Providence. But also, according to his obituary in the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

,'' Roger Graham moved to Chicago in 1910. Theodore Morse Music Company, Chicago : Early in 1913, Graham had been the professional manager in the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

office of Theodore Morse Music Company. Later that year, he was general manager of Morse's western branch in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. In December of 1913, he became manager of its

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

office. May Olivette Hill (1888–1978), a Chicago-based pianist, singer, and composer, was Graham's assistant at Morse. Ellis & Co., Chicago : Around July 1914, Graham became road manager for Ellis & Co. Graham became engaged to May Hill around September 1914. : In 1915, Graham was a partner and the general manager of Craig, Ellis & Co., later known as Craig & Co. The name change was the result of James G. Ellis severing his relationship with the firm. Graham was mentioned as manager of Craig & Company as late as April 5, 1919. Craig & Co. was mentioned as being for sale in 1916. : When Graham founded his own publishing house in Chicago around 1917, he was first located in the Randolph Building at 145 North Clark Street, at Randolph Street. Marriage to May Olivette Hill : Graham married Hill on September 28, 1918, in Chicago. She had been the professional manager in the Chicago office of Ellis & Co., Craig, Ellis & Co., and Craig & Co. Throughout their relationship, from before their engagement in 1914, they were song writing partners, she writing the melodies, he writing the lyrics. Beginning around 1910, Hill, who had grown up in New Berlin, Ohio, had been a

pianist and organist. Her foray into Chicago publishing houses began as a

song plugger A song plugger or song demonstrator is an individual who promotes music to musicians, record labels, and customers. Song pluggers work for a music publishing company or operate independently. The function of the role has evolved as advances in mu ...

. Hill also had been a pioneer of radio, working as a composer for a WGN radio show hosted by Quin Ryan ''(né'' Quin Augustus Ryan; 1898–1978) at the

Drake Hotel Drake Hotel may refer to: ;in Canada *Drake Hotel (Toronto), Ontario ;in the United States (by state) * Drake Hotel (Chicago, Illinois), listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) * Drake Hotel (Gallup, New Mexico), NRHP-listed in ...

. Retirement from music : Graham retired from music publishing in March of 1921 and became a department manager at the Mandel Brothers store. Divorce : Hill filed for divorce on March 24, 1925, in Chicago. Among other things, she was unhappy over Roger Graham's intolerance towards her invalid parents — Isaac B. Hill (1858–1927) and Anna Elizabeth ''(née'' Druckenbrod; 1865–1953) — when they were at the home of May and Roger. Roger Graham, 143 Dearborn Street : According to his obituary in the ''

,'' Roger Graham Publishing Company was in the Tribune Building at 143 Dearborn Street until 1922. Beginning around 1919, many publishers had moved to the State-Lake Building — built in 1919. Graham, after 1922, conducted his business from home. When he died, he was living at 1429 East 66th Place, Chicago.''Obituary: Roger Graham,'' ''

'', October 26, 1938 In 1922 the Tribune Building was torn down. Theory over the

etymology Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

of the word, "Jazz" : Graham, disputing many other claims over the origination of jazz, opined that

Jasbo Brown Jazbo Brown was, according to legend, a black delta blues musician from around the turn of the 20th century. Biography Jazbo Brown is semi-legendary, referred to in DuBose Heyward's ''Jasbo Brown and Selected Poems'' (1924) as an "itinerant negr ...

, a pioneer of jazz in New Orleans, did it first in Chicago, around 1914.

Addresses

* 1916, 1918: 145 N. Clark, Chicago * 1918: 143 N. Dearborn, Chicago * 1919: SEC Randolph and Dearborn Streets, Chicago * 1920: 143 N. Dearborn, Chicago * 1928, 1930: State-Lake Building, 190 N. State Street, Chicago

Death

At the height of his career, around 1918, his friends were stars of the stage and silent screen —

, and many others. Two decades later, he died, only aged 53, but alone, almost forgotten, in a charity ward at the

. When his body had been taken to the Cook County Morgue, an attendant recognized the name on his files and the county notified his sister in New York and his ex-wife of 10 years and song writing collaborator, May Hill, whom he divorced in 1936. "It's strange that everyone should have forgotten Roger", Hill remarked. "The songs he wrote seem to fit the loneliness of his death". He was buried in Palos Hills Memorial Park (aka Mount Vernon Memorial) in Cook County.

Extant music

Graham wrote lyrics to nearly 200 songs. His biggest hit, "

", is a blues that became a perennial

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

. As of 2013, in jazz recordings alone, it has been recorded 311 times according to ''

The Jazz Discography ''The Jazz Discography'' is a print, CD-ROM, and online discography and sessionography of all categories of recorded jazz — and directly relevant precursors of recorded jazz from 1896. The publisher, Lord Music Reference Inc., a British Columbi ...

'' tune database; and it has been used in 23 films according to ''

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

''. Craig & Co. of Chicago, of which Graham was manager and partner, copyrighted it in 1916, and attributed the music to

Spencer Williams Spencer Williams (October 14, 1889 – July 14, 1965) was an American jazz and popular music composer, pianist, and singer. He is best known for his hit songs " Basin Street Blues", " I Ain't Got Nobody", " Royal Garden Blues", " I've Found a N ...

and Dave Peyton and the lyrics to Graham. A 1915 manuscript copyright credits the music to Williams and Peyton, no mention of Graham. Attribution, however, was clouded by two earlier works. David Young copyrighted it in 1914, attributing the music to Charles Warfield (1878–1955) and the lyrics to himself. Clarence E. Brandon Sr. claimed that the more well-known Williams-Graham-Peyton song was written in response to his refusal to sell the publishing rights to his 1911 "I Ain't Got Nobody", which, according to him, was shelved and sold only under the counter. Brandon's version was apparently not widely disputed. The two disputed versions were cleared in 1916 when Graham and Williams sold their rights to Frank K. Root & Co., a Chicago publisher ''(né'' Frank Kimball Root; 1856–1932), and later that year, Warfield and Young sold their rights to Root. Root henceforth published the work both ways; but the prevailing attribution has gone to Graham and Williams. R.A. Graham,

* "Please", lyrics & music by Graham (1906) Roger A. Graham,

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

* "Down At Vanity Fair", lyrics by Frederick James Pearsall (1893–1975), music by Graham (1908) M. Witmark & Sons, New York * "You're Just The One For Me", lyrics by Graham, music by Bernard Edgar Fay (1883–1941) (1907); * "Dreary Moon", lyrics by Frederick James Pearsall (1983–1975), music by Graham (1909); Pearsall & Graham, Providence, Rhode Island * "Narraganset Pier", lyrics by Frederick J. Pearsall, music by Graham (1908) * "No One Else Will Do", lyrics by Frederick J. Pearsall, music by Graham (1909); Ellis & Co. * "It's The Busy Little Bee That Gets The Honey", lyrics by Graham, music by Frederick J. Pearsall (1914); Craig, Ellis & Company, Chicago * "Everybody's Dippy Now", lyrics by Graham, music by May Olivette Hill (1888–1978) (1915) * "I Believe in You", lyrics by Graham, music by May Olivette Hill (1915) * "Peggy from Panama", lyrics by Graham, music by May Olivette Hill (1914); Craig & Company, Chicago * "Dublin Mary Brown", lyrics by Marvin Lee & Graham, music by May Olivette Hill (1916); * " I Ain't Got Nobody Much and Nobody Cares For Me", lyrics by Graham, music by

& Davey Peyton (1916); * "I've Lost All Confidence in You", lyrics by Graham, music by James White (1915); * "You'll Want Me Back Some Day", lyrics by Graham, music by May Olivette Hill (1915); Roger Graham, Chicago * "A Little Love, A Little Kiss, Would Go a Long, Long Way", lyrics by Graham, music by May Olivette Hill (1915); * "I Believe In You", lyrics by Graham, music by May Olivette Hill (1915) * "You'll Want Me Back Some Day" (1915), lyrics by Graham, music by May Olivette Hill (1915) * " I Ain't Got Nobody Much and Nobody Cares For Me", lyrics by Graham, music by

Dave Peyton Dave Peyton (19 August 1889 – 30 April 1955) was an American songwriter, pianist, arranger, orchestra leader, and music critic columnist for the ''Chicago Defender''. Peyton first began as a pianist in the trio of Wilbur Sweatman, along with ...

(1916) † * "He's My Lovin' Jelly-Roll", lyrics by Graham, music by

(1917) * "Flower Garden Blues", lyrics by Graham, music by James White (1919); † * "That Ragtime Symphony Band", lyrics Graham, music by May Hill &

(1917) * "San Diego", lyrics by Graham & Walter Hirsch (1891–1967), music by May Hill (1917) * "Has Anybody Seen My Corinne?", lyrics by Graham, music by Louis "Lukie" Johnson (1918); * "Goodbye My Chocolate Soldier Boy", lyrics by Graham, music by James White (1918); * "I Know Somebody Who's Crazy About You", lyrics by Graham, music by James White (1919); * "Jazz Band Blues", lyrics by Graham & Walter Hirsch (1891–1967), music by James White (1919); * "What a Real Canadian Can Do", lyrics by Graham, music by Billy Johnson (1916); * "What a Real American Can Do", lyrics by Graham, music by May Olivette Hill & Billy Johnson (1917) * "In Those Dear Old Dixie days", lyrics by Graham & Walter Hirsch (1891–1967), music by James White (1920); Frank K. Root & Co, Chicago, New York City * "Everybody Loves a Big Brass Band", lyrics by Graham, music by May Olivette Hill (1917) * "I Ain't Got Nobody Much", Roger Graham, music by Spencer Williams (1916); † * "If You've Never Been in Dreamland You've Never Been in Love", lyrics by Graham & Marvin Lee, music by May Olivette Hill (1917) * "You Are the Image of Mother (That's Why I Love You)", lyrics by Graham & Marvin Lee, music by May Olivette Hill (1916) McKinley Music Co., Chicago * "I'm a Real Kind Mama: Lookin' For a Lovin' Man", lyrics by Graham, music by

Maceo Pinkard 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 ...

(1917); May Hill, Hollywood, California * "That Jazbo Dixieland Band", lyrics by Graham, music by May Olivette Hill &

(1971) * "When a Boy Loves a Girl and a Girl Loves a Boy", lyrics by Graham, music by May Olivette Hill & James White (1971) Joe Slater, Sydney, Australia (between 1911 and 1920) * "Flower Garden Blues", lyrics by Graham, music by James White (1919); † * "Down On Bull Frogs' Isle", lyrics by Graham, music by James White (1920); NLA 11280327; Copyright renewals
May Hill,

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

* "If You Loved Me", English & French lyrics by Graham, music by Frederick J. Pearsall (1983–1975) (1945) * "I'm Satisfied To Be Just What I Am", lyrics by Graham, music by Frederick J. Pearsall (1983–1975) (1945) : † Multiple publishers : ‡ James White ''(aka'' "Professor" James "Slap Rags" White), also a ragtime pianist

Selected discography

"I Ain't Got Nobody" *

Marion Harris Marion Harris (born Mary Ellen Harrison; March 25, 1897 – April 23, 1944) was an American popular singer who was most successful in the late 1910s and the 1920s. She was the first widely-known white singer to sing jazz and blues songs.Ward, Elij ...

with orchestra, (

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...

18133 Matrix B-18192 (1927); ; () * Coon-Sanders Orchestra,

(1927); () : Recorded in Chicago, June 25, 1927 :

Carleton Coon Carleton Stevens Coon (June 23, 1904 – June 3, 1981) was an American anthropologist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is best known for his scientific racist theories concerning the parallel evolution of human races, which ...

(vocals, drums, director),

Joe Sanders Joseph L. Sanders (October 26, 1896, Thayer, Kansas - May 14, 1965, Kansas City, Missouri) was an American jazz pianist, singer, and band leader associated with Kansas City jazz for most of his career. Sanders was best known for co-leading the C ...

(vocals, piano, director); Bob Pope, Joe Richolson (trumpets), Rex Downing (trombone), Harold Thiell, John Thiell (clarinet, alto sax), Floyd Estep (clarinet tenor sax), Russ Stout (banjo), Elmer Krebs ( brass bass)

Filmography

According to

, "

" has 23 film credits. "Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble", a 1917 hit composed by

and published by Graham endures today as the impetus for the

shimmy A shimmy or shoulder shakes is a dance move in which the body is held still, except for the shoulders, which are quickly alternated back and forth. When the right shoulder goes back, the left one comes forward. United States In 1917, a dance ...

, a dance move. Graham sold the copyright for "Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble" to the New York publishing firm of Joseph W. Stern. "Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble" was also used in the film ''

Cinderella Man ''Cinderella Man'' is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by Ron Howard. The film stars Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger and Paul Giamatti. It tells the true story of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock, who was dubbed ...

'' and was the name of a TV episode for ''

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Roger A. 1885 births 1938 deaths American music publishers (people) Songwriters from Rhode Island People from North Kingstown, Rhode Island Songwriters from Illinois 20th-century American songwriters