A Perfect Day was written by Carrie Smith-Bond, also known as the author of I Love You Truly. A Perfect Day was another hit for Bond. The story of A Perfect Day is interesting. While traveling in California around 1909, Carrie stopped by at the Mission Inn in Riverside, California. In her own words: “..while dressing for Read More
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious was written by the Sherman brothers for the Disney movie Mary Poppins. Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke sing the song in the movie. The Oxford English Dictionary estimates the word was first used in the 1940s. According to Wikipedia, columnist Helen Herman muses about her made up word, Supercaliflawjalisticexpialidoshus, in her A-Muse-ings column Read More
You’re a Grand Old Flag
You’re a Grand Old Flag is a popular song written by George M. Cohan. The song was published in 1906 and first performed on the stage on February 6. Cohan wrote the song for his musical George Washington, Jr. The song was first performed on the opening night of the play at Herald Square Theater Read More
In the Good Ole Summertime
In the Good Ole Summertime is a Tin Pan Alley song that was first published in 1902. The song was written by George Evans and Ren Shields. The duo had a difficult time selling the song to publishers. At the suggestion of actress Blanche Ring, the song was added to the 1902 musical comedy, The Read More
Taps
Taps is a haunting bugle call that is played at military funerals. During the American Civil War, three slow drum beats were struck at the end of the Tattoo to extinguish the lights. A military Tattoo was originally a form of military music. Today it has evolved to shows involving theatrics and musical performances. The Read More
Carrie Jacobs-Bond Triumphed over Tragedy
We recently looked at the song I Love You Truly. However, the author has an interesting life worth reviewing in her own right. Carrie was born on August 11, 1862, during the midst of the Civil War. She was born in a brick house in Janesville, Wisconsin. By a young age she could pick Read More
Emily Bear—A Gifted Young Musician
I had a friend draw my attention to this gifted and talented young lady. This gifted pianist was born in August 2001 and at the tender age of fourteen has accomplished more than some accomplish in a lifetime. Her grandmother is said to recognize her talent on the piano by the age of two years Read More
I Love You Truly
I Love You Truly is a popular love song with the senior adult population I work with. This song was a parlor song published in 1901. This musical composition was written by Carrie Jacobs-Bond. Bond’s husband, Frank, died in 1895. While on a trip to her hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin she wrote I Love You Read More
Younger than Springtime
With the approach of spring, the song Younger Than Springtime came to mind. This song is a Rodgers and Hammerstein song that was written for their musical, South Pacific. The song is performed in the first act by Lieutenant Cable when he makes love to his adored Liat, to whom he was only recently introduced Read More
The Galway Girl
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day let’s take a look at a popular Irish song. The Galway Girl was written by Steve Earle. Earle is actually an American, but wrote the song while living in Ireland. The story is semi-autobiographical and tells the story of the singer’s reaction as he meets a “beautiful black haired Read More