Harry B. Smith
Harry Bache Smith (December 28, 1860 – January 1, 1936) was a writer, lyricist and composer. The most prolific of all American stage writers, he is said to have written over 300 librettos and more than 6000 lyrics. Some of his best-known works were librettos for the composers Victor Herbert and Reginald De Koven. He also wrote the book or lyrics for several versions of the Ziegfeld Follies. Smith was born in Buffalo, New York to Josiah Bailey Smith (born 1837) and Elizabeth Bach (born 1838). According to his autobiography First Nights and First Editions (Boston: Little, Brown, 1931), Smith's actual name at birth was Henry Bach Smith. He married twice. His first wife was Lena Reed (born August 21, 1868), whom he married on October 12, 1887 in Chicago, Illinois. They had a son named Sydney Reed Smith (born July 15, 1892). Smith's second wife was the actress Irene Bentley (c. 1870 – June 3, 1940). They married on November 23, 1906 in Boston, Massachusetts, after she had been divorced on June 12, 1906 by her first husband James Thomas Sothoron, Jr. (1867–1913). Bentley retired from the stage in 1910 and died at Allenhurst, New Jersey. She is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, NY. While on a brief holiday in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on New Year's Day in 1936, Smith died of a heart attack in his room at the Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel. Smith worked on many of the famous musical theatre productions of his time. His younger brother Robert Bache Smith (June 4, 1875 – November 6, 1951) was also a successful lyricist. Harry Smith's archive is largely held at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. |
Birth and Death Data: Born December 28, 1860 (Buffalo), Died January 1, 1936 (Atlantic City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1894 - 1950
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, arranger, songwriter, author
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 126-150 of 278 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BVE-40196 | 10-in. | 10/20/1927 | Eyes that love | The Troubadours | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | CVE-40294 | 12-in. | 10/10/1927 | Gems from The fortune teller | Victor Salon Group | Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-49616 | 10-in. | 1/3/1929 | Believe in me | Nathaniel Shilkret ; Victor Orchestra | Orchestra, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BRC-53055 | 10-in. | 4/23/1931 | Yours is my heart alone | Richard Crooks | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-56724 | 10-in. | 9/27/1929 | Gypsy love song | Robert MacGimsey | Whistling solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-62171 | 10-in. | 5/27/1930 | Prince Charming | Evelyn Herbert | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | CVE-64358 | 12-in. | 11/18/1930 | Land of my own romance [from The enchantress] | Nathaniel Shilkret ; Victor Salon Group | Mixed vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | CVE-64393 | 12-in. | 12/5/1930 | Selections from Babette | Nathaniel Shilkret ; Victor Salon Group | Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | BRC-68873 | 10-in. | 4/7/1931 | Yours is my heart alone | Leo Reisman Orchestra ; Frank Munn | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | PBVE-1307 | 10-in. | 10/14/1931 | Constantly | Phil Harris | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-07777 | 10-in. | 4/12/1937 | The sheik | The Riversiders | Male vocal quartet, with steel guitar and piano | lyricist | |
Victor | PBS-09674 | 10-in. | 8/31/1937 | The vamp | Hal Kemp Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Victor | PBS-019418 | 10-in. | 7/9/1938 | The sheik of Araby | Clambake Seven ; Tommy Dorsey | Jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-022434 | 10-in. | 4/12/1938 | The sheik of Araby | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | CS-026853 | 12-in. | 9/9/1938 | The girl from Utah | Leonard W. Joy ; Victor Light Opera Company | Vocal soloists, with orchestra and vocal ensemble | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-046157 | 10-in. | 1/3/1940 | The sheik of Araby | Coleman Hawkins' All-Star Octet | Jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-048431 | 10-in. | 3/25/1940 | Yours is my heart alone | Frank Sinatra ; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-056104 | 10-in. | 9/11/1940 | Yours is my heart alone | Felix Knight ; Nathaniel Shilkret ; Victor Salon Orchestra | Male vocal solo and mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-067774 | 10-in. | 9/10/1941 | Song of brown October ale | Walter Preston ; Victor Male Chorus | Male vocal chorus and male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-068156 | 10-in. | 11/6/1941 | Gypsy love song | Emile Coté ; Walter Preston ; Victor Mixed Chorus | Mixed vocal chorus, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-068306 | 10-in. | 11/13/1941 | Romany life | Emile Coté ; Margaret Daum ; Victor Mixed Chorus | Mixed vocal chorus and female vocal solo, with piano | lyricist | |
Victor | PBS-072527 | 10-in. | 7/28/1942 | The sheik of Araby | City Slickers ; Carl Grayson ; Spike Jones ; Del Porter ; Willie Spicer | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet and hiccuphone (sound effects) | lyricist | |
Victor | E0RB-4709 | 10-in. | 5/26/1950 | Gypsy love song | Frank Black ; RCA Victor Orchestra ; Risë Stevens | Mezzo-soprano vocal solo, with orchestra and chorus | lyricist | |
Victor | PD6VB-2270 | 10-in. | 6/3/1946 | To the land of my own romance | Donald Dame ; Russ Case Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | [Trial 1912-12-11-01] | Not documented | 12/11/1912 | The armorer's song | William McLaughlin | Male vocal solo | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Smith, Harry B.," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103588.
Smith, Harry B.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103588.
"Smith, Harry B.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Harry B. Smith
Discogs: Harry B. Smith
Allmusic: Harry B. Smith
Grove: Harry B. Smith
IMSLP: Harry B. Smith
RISM: Harry B. Smith
IMDb: Harry B. Smith
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Smith, Harry B. (Harry Bache), 1860-1936 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82051119
Wikidata: Harry B. Smith - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5667065
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/42023885
MusicBrainz: Harry B. Smith - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0e23e321-6877-4a04-ba63-dd449f8cd89b
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