Con Conrad (June 18, 1891 - September 28, 1938) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
songwriter and producer.
Con Conrad was born
Conrad K. Dober in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. He published his first song, "Down in Dear Old New Orleans", in 1912. Conrad produced the Broadway show
The Honeymoon Express, starring
Al JolsonAl Jolson was an American singer, comedian, and actor. According to PBS, he is considered the "first openly Jewish man to become an entertainment star in America"...
, in 1913. By 1918, Conrad was writing and publishing with Henry Waterson and had his first major hit in 1920 with the song
Margie.
Con Conrad (June 18, 1891 - September 28, 1938) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
songwriter and producer.
Biography
Con Conrad was born
Conrad K. Dober in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. He published his first song, "Down in Dear Old New Orleans", in 1912. Conrad produced the Broadway show
The Honeymoon Express, starring
Al JolsonAl Jolson was an American singer, comedian, and actor. According to PBS, he is considered the "first openly Jewish man to become an entertainment star in America"...
, in 1913. By 1918, Conrad was writing and publishing with Henry Waterson and had his first major hit in 1920 with the song
Margie. Over the next several years, he would also be responsible for such standards as "Ma, He’s Making Eyes at Me", "You’ve Got to See Your Mama Every Night", "Memory Lane", "Lonesome and Sorry" , "
Palesteena"Palesteena", or, "Lena from Palesteena", was a 1920 song, with lyrics by Con Conrad, and music by J. Russell Robinson.It was originally performed by the Original Dixieland Jass Band, a troupe of New Orleans performers, who recorded it as an instrumental.The melody has a strong Klezmer...
" and "Come on Spark Plug".
In 1923 Conrad focused on the stage and wrote the scores for the
BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
shows:
The Greenwich Follies,
Moonlight,
Betty Lee,
Kitty’s Kisses and
Americana. In 1929 he moved to Hollywood after losing all of his money on unsuccessful shows. There he worked on films such as:
Fox Movietone Follies,
Palmy Days,
The Gay DivorceeThe Gay Divorcee is a 1934 film that was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It was based on the musical play Gay Divorce written by Dwight Taylor, Kenneth S. Webb, Samuel Hoffenstein, with screenplay by George Marion Jr., Dorothy Yost and Edward Kaufman, from an unproduced play by J....
and
Here’s to Romance.
Conrad received the first
Academy AwardThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
for Best Song for
The Continental"The Continental" is a song written by Con Conrad with lyrics by Herb Magidson and was introduced by Ginger Rogers in the 1934 film The Gay Divorcee. "The Continental" won the first Academy Award for Best Original Song to be awarded. Major record hits at the time of introduction included Jolly...
in 1934 along with collaborator
Herb MagidsonHerbert A. "Herb" Magidson was an American popular lyricist. His work was used in over 23 films and four Broadway reviews. He won the first Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1934....
. He died four years later in Van Nuys,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
.
Conrad 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.
External links