Con Conrad | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Conrad c. September 1929 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Conrad K. Dober June 18, 1891 Manhattan, New York, United States |
| Origin | New York City |
| Died | September 28, 1938 (aged 47) Van Nuys, California, United States |
| Genres | Stage and film scores |
| Occupations | Songwriter, producer |
| Awards | Inductee to Songwriters Hall of Fame Academy Award for Best Original Score |
Conrad K. Dober June 18, 1891 – September 28, 1938) publishing as Con Conrad was an American songwriter and Broadway producer. He wrote numerous scores for stage and film, as well as standards.
Biography
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2023) |
Conrad was born in Manhattan, New York, and published his first song, "Down in Dear Old New Orleans", in 1912. Conrad produced the Broadway show The Honeymoon Express, starring Al Jolson, in 1913.
By 1918, Conrad was writing and publishing with Henry Waterson (1873–1933). He co-composed "Margie" in 1920 with J. Russel Robinson and lyricist Benny Davis, which became his first major hit. He went on to compose hits that became standards, including:
- "Palesteena" with co-composer and co-lyricist J. Russel Robinson (1920)
- "Singin' the Blues" with co-composer J. Russel Robinson and lyricists Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young (1920)
- "You've Got to See Mama Ev'ry Night" with co-composer and co-lyricist Billy Rose (1923)
- "Come on Spark Plug" with co-composer and co-lyricist Billy Rose (1923)
- "Barney Google" with co-composer and co-lyricist Billy Rose (1923)
- "Memory Lane" with lyricist Buddy DeSylva and co-composer Larry Spier (1924)
- "Lonesome and Sorry" with lyricist Benny Davis (1926)
- "Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me" with lyricist Sidney Clare (1928)[1]
Stage and film
[edit]In 1923, Conrad focused on the stage and wrote the scores for the Broadway shows: The Greenwich Village Follies, Moonlight, Betty Lee, Kitty’s Kisses and Americana.[1] In 1924 the Longacre Theatre staged the small musical Moonlight, with a score by Conrad and William B. Friedlander. The next year Conrad and Friedlander's Mercenary Mary was presented at the Longacre.[2] In 1929, Conrad 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 Divorcee and Here’s to Romance.[1]
Awards and honours
[edit]Conrad was the inaugural recipient of the first Academy Award for Best Song for The Continental in 1934 with collaborator Herb Magidson.
Conrad was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1979[1]
Personal life and death
[edit]Conrad died in 1938 in Van Nuys, California at age 47[1] after a long illness.[3]
His spouse was actress Francine Larrimore.
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Con Conrad". Songwriters Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
- ^ Bloom, Ken (2007). The Routledge Guide to Broadway. Taylor & Francis. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-415-97380-9. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
- ^ "Con Conrad" (obituary). Variety, 5 October 1938, 62.
External links
[edit]- Works by or about Con Conrad at the Internet Archive
- Con Conrad at IMDb
- Free scores by Con Conrad in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- Sheet Music for "Margie", Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co., 1920.
- Con Conrad recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.
- Free scores by Con Conrad at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
