Jerome H. Remick
Encyclopedia
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Jerome Hosmer Remick (15 November 1867 – 15 July 1931), was a Detroit music publisher, philanthropist and businessman from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.
. He was the son of James Albert Remick and Mary Amelia Hosmer. He graduated from the Detroit Business University in 1887, before joining the Whitney-Remick lumber firm, a family business started by his grandfather, Royal C. Remick. Jerome married Adelaide McCreery in Flint, Michigan
on June 26, 1895.
Remick's interests, however, did not lie in lumber, but in the developing popular sheet music industry, and in 1898 he bought out the small, struggling firm of Whitney-Warner Publishing Company in Detroit. He turned the company into an extraordinarily successful sheet music publishing house.
In 1902 Remick and Maurice Shapiro founded Shapiro-Remick & Company, selling several million copies in 1905 of the enormously successful "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree
", written by Harry Williams and Egbert van Alstyne
. The partnership was dissolved in 1906, and Remick started his own firm Jerome H. Remick & Co. Van Alstyne continued with Remick and a string of hits followed including "Pretty Baby
" and "Your Eyes have Told Me So."
Remick's published songs influenced popular music trends, and included hundreds of hits such as "Baby Face", "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover
," "Oh, You Beautiful Doll
" and "Bye Bye Blackbird
," all of which contributed greatly to American heritage and culture.
In 1909 the company published three ballads that sold more than a million copies – "Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet", "Moonlight Bay" in 1912 and "When You Wore A Tulip" in 1914. The firm also published ragtime
music such as "Dill Pickles Rag" and "Black and White Rag
".
George Gershwin
joined Remick in 1914 and composed many songs, but left the firm shortly after they published "Rialto Ripples" in 1917. To stay competitive Remick began to sign up unknown writers such as Harry Warren
, Al Dubin
, Gus Kahn
and Richard A. Whiting
, ushering in the golden era of the Roaring Twenties
music. Changes were in the air, though. The arrival of talking pictures obliged Warner Brothers to invest in publishing houses, leading to their acquisition of Remick's company in 1929, gaining Remick's catalogue and staff writers, including Harry Warren and Al Dubin who created hits such as "42nd Street
" and "I Only Have Eyes For You
."
While competing publishing houses were located in Michigan, New York City and Chicago, Jerome H. Remick & Co. held sway in Detroit, also running a successful printing plant from there. The firm maintained branch offices in New York City and Chicago, with agencies all over the world, and started hundreds of music outlets under the name "Remick Song Shops" throughout the United States. Oddly, Remick could not read music at all, but had a natural understanding of public tastes.
Remick was an enthusiastic gentleman farmer, and owned a 2200 acres (8.9 km²) estate on Gratiot Avenue, growing fruit and vegetables, and raising chickens. His livestock included a herd of prize Holstein
s, leading to a controlling interest in the Detroit Creamery Co.
Remick was one of the influential patrons of the Detroit Symphony, repeatedly serving as the organization's president. His fundraising helped to create Orchestra Hall
in 1919. His contributions also enabled the expansion of Detroit's orchestra to 90 players so as to persuade Ossip Gabrilowitsch
, Mark Twain
's son-in-law, to become the Detroit Symphony's conductor. Remick also served as director on the boards of the pharmaceutical firm, Parke-Davis & Co
, the Paige Motor Co
, the Detroit Savings Bank
, and the Union Trust Co
. He also acted as secretary of the Whitney Land Co., which operated in Oregon and he had an interest in the Detroit Free Press
. He was president of the Big Four Gold and Copper Mining Co. in Colorado, owning claims covering 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) north of the Little Jonnie Mine in the Leadville district.
In 1928, because of ill-health, Remick sold the company to his Vice-President, Jerome Keit. The new firm was called The Remick Corporation, and was finally taken over by the Warner Brothers conglomerate. Remick was survived by his wife, his children, and several grandchildren.
Remkick died on July 15, 1931, at the age of 63, and is buried along with his wife in Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.
Jerome Hosmer Remick (15 November 1867 – 15 July 1931), was a Detroit music publisher, philanthropist and businessman from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.
Life and career
Jerome Remick was born in Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He was the son of James Albert Remick and Mary Amelia Hosmer. He graduated from the Detroit Business University in 1887, before joining the Whitney-Remick lumber firm, a family business started by his grandfather, Royal C. Remick. Jerome married Adelaide McCreery in Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
on June 26, 1895.
Remick's interests, however, did not lie in lumber, but in the developing popular sheet music industry, and in 1898 he bought out the small, struggling firm of Whitney-Warner Publishing Company in Detroit. He turned the company into an extraordinarily successful sheet music publishing house.
In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree
In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree is a popular song dating from 1905. It was written by Harry Williams and Egbert Van Alstyne .The meter of its chorus is in the form of a Limerick.It can safely be characterized as a highly sentimental tune...
", written by Harry Williams and Egbert van Alstyne
Egbert Van Alstyne
Egbert Anson Van Alstyne was a United States songwriter and pianist. Van Alstyne was the composer of a number of popular and ragtime tunes from the early 20th century.He was born in Marengo, Illinois...
. The partnership was dissolved in 1906, and Remick started his own firm Jerome H. Remick & Co. Van Alstyne continued with Remick and a string of hits followed including "Pretty Baby
Pretty Baby (song)
Pretty Baby is a song written by Tony Jackson during the Ragtime era. The song was remembered as being prominent in Jackson's repertory before he left New Orleans in 1912, but was not published until 1916....
" and "Your Eyes have Told Me So."
Remick's published songs influenced popular music trends, and included hundreds of hits such as "Baby Face", "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover
I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover
"I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover" is a song from 1927, written by Mort Dixon with music by Harry M. Woods. It was a hit for Art Mooney & His Orchestra in 1948 and was largely popularized by him. In modern times the song is perhaps most associated with Merrie Melodies cartoons, as it appeared in...
," "Oh, You Beautiful Doll
Oh, You Beautiful Doll
"Oh, You Beautiful Doll" is a ragtime love song published in 1911 with words by Seymour Brown and music by Nat D. Ayer. The song was one of the first with a twelve-bar opening. It is well-known by its chorus:*...
" and "Bye Bye Blackbird
Bye Bye Blackbird
"Bye, Bye, Blackbird" is a song published in 1926 by the American composer Ray Henderson and lyricist Mort Dixon. It is considered a popular standard and was first recorded by Gene Austin in 1926.- Song information :...
," all of which contributed greatly to American heritage and culture.
In 1909 the company published three ballads that sold more than a million copies – "Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet", "Moonlight Bay" in 1912 and "When You Wore A Tulip" in 1914. The firm also published ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
music such as "Dill Pickles Rag" and "Black and White Rag
Black and White Rag
Black and White Rag is a 1908 ragtime composition by George Botsford.The first known recording of this piece was by Albert Benzler, recorded on Lakeside/U.S.Everlasting Cylinder #380 in June of 1911. This recording is somewhat rare , and significant...
".
George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
joined Remick in 1914 and composed many songs, but left the firm shortly after they published "Rialto Ripples" in 1917. To stay competitive Remick began to sign up unknown writers such as Harry Warren
Harry Warren
Harry Warren was an American composer and lyricist. Warren was the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song eleven times and won three Oscars for composing "Lullaby of Broadway", "You'll Never Know" and "On the Atchison,...
, Al Dubin
Al Dubin
Alexander "Al" Dubin was an American lyricist. He became known through his collaborations with the composer Harry Warren.-Life and works:...
, Gus Kahn
Gus Kahn
Gustav Gerson Kahn was a musician, songwriter and lyricist.-Biography:Kahn was born in Koblenz, Germany in 1886. The family emigrated from there to the United States and moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1890...
and Richard A. Whiting
Richard A. Whiting
Richard Armstrong Whiting was a composer of popular songs including the standards, "Hooray for Hollywood", "Ain't We Got Fun?" & "On the Good Ship Lollipop"....
, ushering in the golden era of the Roaring Twenties
Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties is a phrase used to describe the 1920s, principally in North America, but also in London, Berlin and Paris for a period of sustained economic prosperity. The phrase was meant to emphasize the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism...
music. Changes were in the air, though. The arrival of talking pictures obliged Warner Brothers to invest in publishing houses, leading to their acquisition of Remick's company in 1929, gaining Remick's catalogue and staff writers, including Harry Warren and Al Dubin who created hits such as "42nd Street
42nd Street (film)
-Cast:*Warner Baxter as Julian Marsh, director*Bebe Daniels as Dorothy Brock, star*George Brent as Pat Denning, Dorothy's old vaudeville partner*Ruby Keeler as Peggy Sawyer, the newcomer*Guy Kibbee as Abner Dillon, the show's backer...
" and "I Only Have Eyes For You
I Only Have Eyes for You
"I Only Have Eyes for You" is a popular song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin, written in 1934 for the film Dames where it was introduced by Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler....
."
While competing publishing houses were located in Michigan, New York City and Chicago, Jerome H. Remick & Co. held sway in Detroit, also running a successful printing plant from there. The firm maintained branch offices in New York City and Chicago, with agencies all over the world, and started hundreds of music outlets under the name "Remick Song Shops" throughout the United States. Oddly, Remick could not read music at all, but had a natural understanding of public tastes.
Remick was an enthusiastic gentleman farmer, and owned a 2200 acres (8.9 km²) estate on Gratiot Avenue, growing fruit and vegetables, and raising chickens. His livestock included a herd of prize Holstein
Holstein (cattle)
Holstein cattle is a breed of cattle known today as the world's highest production dairy animal. Originating in Europe, Holsteins were bred in what is now the Netherlands and more specifically in the two northern provinces of North Holland and Friesland...
s, leading to a controlling interest in the Detroit Creamery Co.
Remick was one of the influential patrons of the Detroit Symphony, repeatedly serving as the organization's president. His fundraising helped to create Orchestra Hall
Orchestra Hall, Detroit
Orchestra Hall is a concert hall located at 3711 Woodward Avenue in midtown Detroit, Michigan. The hall is renowned for its superior acoustic properties and serves as the home of the internationally known Detroit Symphony Orchestra , the fourth oldest orchestra in the United States...
in 1919. His contributions also enabled the expansion of Detroit's orchestra to 90 players so as to persuade Ossip Gabrilowitsch
Ossip Gabrilowitsch
Ossip Gabrilowitsch was a Russian-born American pianist, conductor and composer.- Biography :...
, Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
's son-in-law, to become the Detroit Symphony's conductor. Remick also served as director on the boards of the pharmaceutical firm, Parke-Davis & Co
Parke-Davis
Parke-Davis is a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Although no longer an independent corporation, it was once America's oldest and largest drug maker, and played an important role in medical history.- History :...
, the Paige Motor Co
Paige automobile
Paige was a Detroit, United States based automobile company, selling luxury cars between 1908 and 1927.-History:The first car in 1908 was called a Paige-Detroit and was a two seat model powered by a 2.2 liter three cylinder, two stroke engine. In 1910 four stroke, four cylinder models took over and...
, the Detroit Savings Bank
Comerica
Comerica Incorporated is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA. It has retail banking operations in Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Texas; and select business operations in several other U.S...
, and the Union Trust Co
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
. He also acted as secretary of the Whitney Land Co., which operated in Oregon and he had an interest in the Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
. He was president of the Big Four Gold and Copper Mining Co. in Colorado, owning claims covering 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) north of the Little Jonnie Mine in the Leadville district.
In 1928, because of ill-health, Remick sold the company to his Vice-President, Jerome Keit. The new firm was called The Remick Corporation, and was finally taken over by the Warner Brothers conglomerate. Remick was survived by his wife, his children, and several grandchildren.
Remkick died on July 15, 1931, at the age of 63, and is buried along with his wife in Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.