Dick McDonough
Richard Tobin McDonough (July 30, 1904 – May 25, 1938) was an American jazz guitarist and banjoist. Perhaps best remembered for his duets with fellow guitarist Carl Kress, McDonough appeared on numerous record sessions and radio broadcasts throughout the 1920s and 1930s. McDonough began playing banjo and mandolin in high school. An athlete, he initially played left-handed because, according to McDonough, that was how he held his hockey stick. At Georgetown University, he performed professionally at weekend dances and two years later started a band. He attended Columbia Law School after college and while there played with bands in New York City. McDonough played with Red Nichols in 1927 as a banjoist, and soon after played with Paul Whiteman. He began studying the guitar and eventually was in demand for session work, recording with The Dorsey Brothers, Red Nichols, and Miff Mole. In the 1930s, he performed in a duo with jazz guitarist Carl Kress and cut several sessions with an orchestra under his own name, in addition to backing many other recording artists. Other credits include session work with Mildred Bailey, Smith Ballew, The Boswell Sisters, Rube Bloom, Chick Bullock, The Charleston Chasers, Cliff Edwards, Gene Gifford, Benny Goodman, Adelaide Hall, Annette Hanshaw, Billie Holiday, Baby Rose Marie, Glenn Miller, Irving Mills, Red McKenzie, Johnny Mercer, Red Norvo, Fred Rich, Adrian Rollini, Pee Wee Russell, Ben Selvin, Artie Shaw, Frank Signorelli, Jack Teagarden, Claude Thornhill, Frankie Trumbauer, Joe Venuti, Don Voorhees, and Ethel Waters. He played in the Jam Session at Victor with Fats Waller, Bunny Berigan, and George Wettling. McDonough struggled with alcohol abuse during his adult life and died, aged 34, of pneumonia in May 1938 at the LeRoy Sanitarium after an operation. He was survived by his widow, Dorothy Wiggman. |
Birth and Death Data: Born July 30, 1904 (New York City), Died May 25, 1938 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1927 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, banjo, songwriter, leader
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 101 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-011088 | 10-in. | 7/9/1937 | So rare | Jimmy Ray Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-011089 | 10-in. | 7/9/1937 | You're my desire | Jimmy Ray Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W150730 | 10-in. | 8/25/1930 | I like a little girl like that | Sunshine Boys | Male vocal duet, with cornet and guitar | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W150731 | 10-in. | 8/25/1930 | It seems to be spring | Sunshine Boys | Male vocal duet, with cornet and guitar | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W152568 | 10-in. | 11/27/1933 | Your mother's son-in-law | Benny Goodman Orchestra ; Billie Holiday ; Buck Washington | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W152575 | 10-in. | 12/4/1933 | Riffin' the Scotch | Benny Goodman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Columbia | W152650 | 10-in. | 12/18/1933 | Riffin' the scotch | Benny Goodman Orchestra ; Billie Holiday | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | W265146 | 10-in. | 10/2/1933 | Sweet Lorraine | Joe Venuti's Blue Six | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Columbia | W265147 | 10-in. | 10/2/1933 | Doin' the uptown lowdown | Joe Venuti's Blue Six | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Columbia | W265148 | 10-in. | 10/2/1933 | Jazz me blues | Joe Venuti's Blue Six | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
Columbia | W265149 | 10-in. | 10/2/1933 | In de ruff | Joe Venuti's Blue Six | instrumentalist, guitar | ||
OKeh | W80338 | 10-in. | 1/26/1927 | Alexander's ragtime band | Miff Mole's Molers | Jazz/dance quintet | instrumentalist, guitar, banjo | |
OKeh | W80339 | 10-in. | 1/26/1927 | Some sweet day | Miff Mole's Molers | Jazz/dance quintet | instrumentalist, guitar | |
OKeh | W80340 | 10-in. | 1/26/1927 | Hurricane | Miff Mole's Molers | Jazz/dance quartet | instrumentalist, guitar | |
OKeh | W80501 | 10-in. | 3/7/1927 | Davenport blues | Miff Mole's Molers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
OKeh | W80502 | 10-in. | 3/7/1927 | Darktown Strutters' Ball | Miff Mole's Molers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
OKeh | W80503 | 10-in. | 3/7/1927 | A hot time in the old town | Miff Mole's Molers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
OKeh | W81297 | 10-in. | 8/30/1927 | Feelin' no pain | Little Molers ; Miff Mole | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
OKeh | W81413 | 10-in. | 9/1/1927 | My gal Sal | Little Molers ; Miff Mole | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
OKeh | W81414 | 10-in. | 9/1/1927 | Honolulu blues | Little Molers ; Miff Mole | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
OKeh | W81415 | 10-in. | 9/1/1927 | The new twister | Little Molers ; Miff Mole | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, banjo | |
OKeh | W401711 | 10-in. | 3/13/1929 | Broadway Rose | Dick McDonough Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
OKeh | W403227 | 10-in. | 11/4/1929 | Same old moon (Same old June, but not the same old you) | Virginia Willrich and her Texas Rangers | Jazz/dance quintet | instrumentalist, guitar | |
OKeh | W403228 | 10-in. | 11/4/1929 | Through (How can you say we're through?) | Virginia Willrich and her Texas Rangers | Jazz/dance quintet | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Brunswick | E36117 | 10-in. | 2/20/1931 | When I take my sugar to tea | Sunshine Boys | Male vocal duet, with trombone and guitar | instrumentalist, guitar |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "McDonough, Dick," accessed October 13, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103520.
McDonough, Dick. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103520.
"McDonough, Dick." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 13 October 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Dick McDonough
Discogs: Dick McDonough
Allmusic: Dick McDonough
Grove: Dick McDonough
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: McDonough, Dick, 1904-1938 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82028131
Wikidata: Dick McDonough - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1209730
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/59274440
MusicBrainz: Dick McDonough - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/42539222-0b9d-4c5f-828e-17a1bacdc5c8
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