Jack Norworth (5 January, 1879 - 1 September, 1959) was a U.S. songwriter, singer and vaudeville performer.
Born in
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States.In 2008, the population of the city proper was estimated to be over 1.4 million, while the metropolitan area's population of 5.8 million made it the country's fifth-largest...
, Norworth is credited as co-writer of a number of
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....
hits. He wrote the lyrics of the song "
Take Me Out to the Ball Game"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is an early-20th century Tin Pan Alley song which became the unofficial anthem of baseball although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song. The song is traditionally sung during the seventh-inning stretch of a baseball game...
" in 1908, his most long lasting hit. But it wasn't until 1940 that he actually witnessed a Major League Baseball game. His "
Shine On, Harvest Moon"Shine On, Harvest Moon" is the name of a popular early-1900s song credited to Jack Norworth and his wife Nora Bayes. It was one of a series of moon related Tin Pan Alley songs of the era. The song was debuted by the composers in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1908 to great acclaim...
" was an even bigger hit at the time.
Jack Norworth (5 January, 1879 - 1 September, 1959) was a U.S. songwriter, singer and vaudeville performer.
Born in
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States.In 2008, the population of the city proper was estimated to be over 1.4 million, while the metropolitan area's population of 5.8 million made it the country's fifth-largest...
, Norworth is credited as co-writer of a number of
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....
hits. He wrote the lyrics of the song "
Take Me Out to the Ball Game"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is an early-20th century Tin Pan Alley song which became the unofficial anthem of baseball although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song. The song is traditionally sung during the seventh-inning stretch of a baseball game...
" in 1908, his most long lasting hit. But it wasn't until 1940 that he actually witnessed a Major League Baseball game. His "
Shine On, Harvest Moon"Shine On, Harvest Moon" is the name of a popular early-1900s song credited to Jack Norworth and his wife Nora Bayes. It was one of a series of moon related Tin Pan Alley songs of the era. The song was debuted by the composers in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1908 to great acclaim...
" was an even bigger hit at the time. There is some disagreement about Norworth's involvement in the latter. Broadway historian John Kenrick credits
Edward MaddenEdward Madden was an American lyricist.Madden was born in New York City on 17 July 1878. He grew up in that city. He graduated from Fordham University....
and
Gus EdwardsGus Edwards was an American songwriter and vaudevillian. He also organised his own theatre companies and was a music publisher.-Early life:...
, while the family of Follies songwriter Dave Stamper claims he wrote the song while working as pianist for
Nora BayesNora Bayes was a popular American singer, comedienne and actress of the early 20th century.-Early life and career:...
, the credited co-writer.
Other popular songs credited to Norworth include "Back to My Old Home Town"; "Come Along, My Mandy"; "Dear Dolly"; "
Good Evening, CarolineGood Evening, Caroline is a 1908 popular song, written by Albert Von Tilzer and Jack Norworth. The singer Billy Murray made at least two recordings of the song: one from 1908 on Edison Records, and one in 1909 on Indestructible Record Company. The 1909 recording became one of the most popular...
"; "Holding Hands"; "Honey Boy"; "I'm Glad I'm a Boy/I'm Glad I'm a Girl"; "I'm Glad I'm Married"; "Kitty"; "Meet Me in Apple Blossom Time"; "Over on the Jersey Side"; "Since My Mother Was a Girl"; "Sing an Irish Song" and "Smarty." "Turn Off Your Light, Mr. Moon Man" is a sequel to "Shine on, Harvest Moon."
In 1908 he married Nora Bayes, with whom he performed in vaudeville. Following the
Ziegfeld FolliesThe Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
(1909), Norworth appeared in a number of Broadway theater productions and was heard on early radio, such as his March 1928 guest appearance on
Acousticon HourAcousticon Hour was a "musicale" radio program aired during 1927 and 1928 on NBC. It offered selections from classical music, orchestral favorites, operas and operettas.The show was sponsored by a hearing aid called the Acousticon...
.
After Bayes, he was married to actress
Louise DresserLouise Dresser was an American actress.Born Louise Josephine Kerlin in Evansville, Indiana, her first film was in 1922 in The Glory of Clementina, and her first starring role was in 1924's The City that Never Sleeps.She took her professional last name as a tribute to her good friend, songwriter...
. He appeared in early sound films with his third wife, Dorothy Adelphi. An inductee in 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...
, Norworth died of a
heart attackMyocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, is the interruption of blood supply to part of the heart, causing some heart cells to die...
in
Laguna Beach, CaliforniaLaguna Beach is a seaside resort and artist community located in southern Orange County, California, approximately southeast of the county seat of Santa Ana. Its population was 23,727 at the 2000 census. It is known for having some of the most beautiful beaches in southern California...
. He was portrayed by
Dennis MorganDennis Morgan was an American actor-singer.In 1945, he played the part of Jefferson Jones in the holiday classic Christmas in Connecticut opposite Barbara Stanwyck. He also starred in such films as God Is My Co-Pilot and the 1943 film version of The Desert Song...
in the musical film
Shine on, Harvest Moon (1944).
External links
- Discography of Jack Norworth on Victor Records
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
from the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings (EDVR)
- http://www.archeophone.com/product_info.php?products_id=55Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth: Together and Alone (Archeophone Records
Archeophone Records, LLC, based in Champaign, Illinois, specializes in preserving recordings of the acoustic era of the recording industry by remastering phonograph cylinders and gramophone records from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and releasing them on compact disc...
5007)]