Charles Tobias (August 15, 1898 – July 7, 1970) was an American
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
.
Born in New York City, Tobias grew up in
Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester is a city in the state of Massachusetts in the United States of America. Having a population of 172,648 in the 2000 census, Worcester is ranked the second or third largest city in New England. It is the county seat of Worcester County....
with brothers Harry Tobias and Henry Tobias, also songwriters.
He started his musical career in
vaudevilleVaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
. In 1923, he founded his own music publishing firm and worked on
Tin Pan AlleyTin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City-centered music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century....
. Tobias referred to himself as "the boy who writes the songs you sing."
His credits include "Merrily We Roll Along," "Rose O'Day," "Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer," "Comes Love," and "Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me)." With frequent collaborators
Al ShermanAl Sherman was an American Tin Pan Alley songwriter from the first half of the twentieth century. Sherman is a link in a long chain of musical Sherman family members.-Early life:...
and
Howard JohnsonHoward Johnson was a song lyricist.He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.He was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, and died in New York, New York....
he wrote,
Dew-Dew-Dewey Day" Dew-Dew-Dewey Day" was a popular song dating from 1927. It was recorded by Clyde Doerr and this Orchestra. The song is a Fox Trot which contains a vocal refrain, hence the unconventional length of the record . It was written by Tin Pan Alley tunesmiths, Al Sherman, Howard Johnson and Charles...
.
In the 1930s Tobias and several of his fellow hit makers formed a revue called "
Songwriters On ParadeSongwriters On Parade was a musical Vaudeville revue which featured hit songwriters of the day. It was considered one of the last Vaudevillian forays of this type...
", performing across the Eastern seaboard on the Loew's and
KeithKeith may refer to:People with the given name Keith:*Keith People with the surname Keith:*Keith In places:* The Barony of Keith in East Lothian Scotland, its caput being Keith Marischal...
circuits.
He co-wrote the 1933 to 1936
Merrie MelodiesMerrie Melodies was the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in...
theme song "I Think You're Ducky" with
Gerald MarksGerald Marks , was an American composer most well known for the song "All of Me" which he co-wrote with Seymour Simons and has been recorded about 2,000 times...
and
Sidney ClareSidney Clare was an American comedian, dancer and composer. His best known songs include "On the Good Ship Lollipop" , "You’re My Thrill" , and "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" .In 1933, Clare wrote his...
.
Charles Tobias (August 15, 1898 – July 7, 1970) was an American
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
.
Biography
Born in New York City, Tobias grew up in
Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester is a city in the state of Massachusetts in the United States of America. Having a population of 172,648 in the 2000 census, Worcester is ranked the second or third largest city in New England. It is the county seat of Worcester County....
with brothers Harry Tobias and Henry Tobias, also songwriters.
He started his musical career in
vaudevilleVaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
. In 1923, he founded his own music publishing firm and worked on
Tin Pan AlleyTin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City-centered music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century....
. Tobias referred to himself as "the boy who writes the songs you sing."
His credits include "Merrily We Roll Along," "Rose O'Day," "Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer," "Comes Love," and "Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me)." With frequent collaborators
Al ShermanAl Sherman was an American Tin Pan Alley songwriter from the first half of the twentieth century. Sherman is a link in a long chain of musical Sherman family members.-Early life:...
and
Howard JohnsonHoward Johnson was a song lyricist.He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.He was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, and died in New York, New York....
he wrote,
Dew-Dew-Dewey Day" Dew-Dew-Dewey Day" was a popular song dating from 1927. It was recorded by Clyde Doerr and this Orchestra. The song is a Fox Trot which contains a vocal refrain, hence the unconventional length of the record . It was written by Tin Pan Alley tunesmiths, Al Sherman, Howard Johnson and Charles...
.
In the 1930s Tobias and several of his fellow hit makers formed a revue called "
Songwriters On ParadeSongwriters On Parade was a musical Vaudeville revue which featured hit songwriters of the day. It was considered one of the last Vaudevillian forays of this type...
", performing across the Eastern seaboard on the Loew's and
KeithKeith may refer to:People with the given name Keith:*Keith People with the surname Keith:*Keith In places:* The Barony of Keith in East Lothian Scotland, its caput being Keith Marischal...
circuits.
He co-wrote the 1933 to 1936
Merrie MelodiesMerrie Melodies was the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in...
theme song "I Think You're Ducky" with
Gerald MarksGerald Marks , was an American composer most well known for the song "All of Me" which he co-wrote with Seymour Simons and has been recorded about 2,000 times...
and
Sidney ClareSidney Clare was an American comedian, dancer and composer. His best known songs include "On the Good Ship Lollipop" , "You’re My Thrill" , and "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" .In 1933, Clare wrote his...
. And, he later co-wrote the 1936-1964
Merrie MelodiesMerrie Melodies was the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in...
theme song "
Merrily We Roll Along"Merrily We Roll Along" is a song loosely based on the 1847 song "Good Night Ladies" by E. P. Christy. Written by Charlie Tobias, Murray Mencher, and Eddie Cantor in 1935, it is best known as the theme of Warner Bros.' Merrie Melodies cartoon series...
" with Murray Mencher and
Eddie CantorEddie Cantor was an American comedian, dancer, singer, actor, and songwriter. Familiar to Broadway, radio and early television audiences, this "Apostle of Pep" was regarded almost as a family member by millions because his top-rated radio shows revealed intimate stories and amusing anecdotes about...
.
Immediately after
Pearl HarborPearl Harbor is a harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, he and
Cliff FriendCliff Friend was an accomplished songwriter and pianist. A member of Tin Pan Alley, Friend co-wrote several hits including "Lovesick Blues", "My Blackbirds Are Bluebirds Now" and "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down", also known as the theme song to the Looney Tunes cartoon series.-Early life:Friend was...
wrote and recorded "We Did It Before And We Can Do It Again" on December 16, 1941. The song reminded the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
of
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
.
From 1929 to the 1960, he contributed songs to a number of musicals, such as "Manhattan Melodrama" and "The Daughter Of Rosie O'Grady".
Tobias was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of FameThe Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
in 1970. He died in Manhasset, Long Island, on July 7, 1970.
External links