Louis Armstrong was born August 4, 1901 in New Orleans. He was born into a very poor family and the grandson of slaves. He credited Joe “King” Oliver with teaching him to play the trumpet by ear. By the age of eleven, he’d dropped out of school and was singing on the streets for money. Read More
Author: SingingtheSonginMyHeart
Who Is the Wind Beneath Your Wings?
One of the residents at the nursing home where I do music always request “Wind Beneath My Wings.” The song was one of my favorites by Bette Midler in her movie Beaches. The song was written by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley in 1982. The title came from a poem Henley had written. Silbar was Read More
Irving Berlin, He Was American Music
Irving Berlin was born Israel Isidore Baline on May 11, 1888, in Tyumen, Russian Empire. He was one of eight children born to his parents. In 1893 his family immigrated and settled in New York City. By the age of eight, he’d quit school and was selling newspapers. While selling papers he would hear the Read More
Star Wars, Stargate Composer Dies
Did you recently hear of the death of Joel Goldsmith? Did you also wonder who he was? Joel Goldsmith was born November 19, 1957, in Los Angeles, California. This oldest of six children was born into a musical family. He is best known for his work on Star Wars, Stargate, Stargate Atlantis and other Read More
Bing Crosby, the Original Crooner
Bing Crosby mesmerized all of us with his soothing voice. The famous crooner was born Harry Lillis Crosby on May 3, 1902, in Tacoma, Washington. He was the fourth of seven children of bookkeeper, Harry Lincoln Crosby. Little Harry was a fan of “The Bingville Bugle” a Sunday feature of the local newspaper. A neighborhood Read More
The Carpenter’s Left a Lasting Impression
During the 1970s the Carpenter’s were very popular. Even today their hits can still be heard in commercials and movies. The Carpenter’s were a brother and sister group. Richard was born on October 15, 1946, and Karen was born on March 2, 1950. They were born in Connecticut and later moved to California. In his Read More
Yesterday was once Scrambled Eggs
Did you know The Beatles originally called their hit song ‘Scrambled Eggs’? The song, Yesterday, was originally composed by Paul McCartney. He was living with the parents of his then girlfriend, Jane Asher. He’s stated that he lived in a small attic room in the family’s house. He’d saved enough money to buy a piano Read More
Jesus Loves Me
Jesus Loves Me is the best loved children’s song of all time. The words were written by Anna Bartlett Warner, who was born in 1827. Warner could trace her lineage back to the Puritan Pilgrims on both sides. Her father was Henry Warner, a well known New York City lawyer originally from New England, and Read More
Alexander’s Ragtime Band
This hit was written by Irving Berlin in 1911. The belief is the song refers to the then “new ideas” of standard music that was popping up, from ragtime to the blues and jazz. Vaudeville singer Emma Carus introduced the song and helped make it popular. By the time the Titanic sailed in April 1912, Read More
Nearer, My God, To Thee, Last Song Played As the Titanic Sinks
Nearer, My God, To Thee is commonly believed to be the last song the Titanic played as the ship sank. The popular hymn was written by Sarah Flower Adams and is loosely based on Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28:11-19. This hymn is considered by hymnology students to be the finest hymn ever written by a Read More