J. Will Callahan
J. Will Callahan (March 17, 1874 – November 15, 1946) was an American lyricist. He was also partially blind. He wrote lyrics for songs including "Gasoline" (1913), "Smiles" (used in The Passing Show of 1918), and more notoriously to modern ears, the 1917 song "Ching Chong". "Smiles", for which he is best known, became a hit and earned Callahan and composer Lee S. Roberts about $500,000. Callahan's primary collaborator was Max Kortlander. |
Birth and Death Data: Born March 17, 1874, Died November 15, 1946
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1914 - 1949
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | B-15019 | 10-in. | 6/29/1914 | You planted a rose in the garden of love | Charles Harrison | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | B-15198 | 10-in. | 9/18/1914 | Diane of the green van | Henry Burr ; Albert Campbell | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | B-15212 | 10-in. | 9/23/1914 | Wild flowers we gathered long ago | Elsie Baker ; Frederick J. Wheeler | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | B-21881 | 10-in. | 6/3/1918 | Smiles | Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal chorus | lyricist | |
Victor | B-22215 | 10-in. | 8/16/1918 | Smiles | Maria Morrisey ; Peerless Quartet | Male vocal quartet and female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | B-22228 | 10-in. | 9/9/1918 | Smiles | Lambert Murphy | Male vocal solo, with violin and orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | B-22255 | 10-in. | 9/24/1918 | Smiles | John McCormack | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | B-22263 | 10-in. | 9/27/1918 | A little birch canoe and you | Olive Kline | Female vocal solo, with male vocal quartet and orchestra (takes 3-5); with mixed vocal quartet (takes 1-2) | lyricist | |
Victor | B-22367 | 10-in. | 1/30/1919 | Mammy's lullaby | Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra | Orchestra, with female vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | B-22599 | 10-in. | 2/25/1919 | After all | Reinald Werrenrath | Male vocal solo, with violin and orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | B-22689 | 10-in. | 4/15/1919 | When I come home to you | Reinald Werrenrath | Male vocal solo, with violin and orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | B-22904 | 10-in. | 6/5/1919 | Tell me | Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal chorus | lyricist | |
Victor | B-23160 | 10-in. | 9/17/1919 | Tell me | Lambert Murphy | Male vocal solo, with violin obbligato and orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | B-24359 | 10-in. | 7/29/1920 | Drowsy baby | Elsie Baker ; Olive Kline | Female vocal duet, with violin, bells, and orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | B-24360 | 10-in. | 7/29/1920 | In the afterglow | Elsie Baker | Female vocal solo, with violin and orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | B-30984 | 10-in. | 10/9/1924 | Give me one rose to remember | Reinald Werrenrath | Baritone vocal solo, with violin and orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-47053 | 10-in. | 9/18/1928 | Smiles | Jimmy Yates’ Boll Weevils | String band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-48181 | 10-in. | 11/19/1928 | The gateway of dreams | John McCormack | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | PBVE-54853 | 10-in. | 6/19/1930 | Smiles | Boyd Senter ; Senterpedes ; Ray Stillwell | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | PBS-09633 | 10-in. | 8/2/1937 | Smiles | Benny Goodman Quartet | Jazz/dance quartet | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-022932 | 10-in. | 4/28/1938 | The grass is just as green | Rose Blane ; Californians ; Abe Lyman | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-028616 | 10-in. | 10/25/1938 | Smiles | Oklahoma Playboys ; Jimmie Revard | String band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-063721 | 10-in. | 4/7/1941 | Smiles | Larry Clinton Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal ensemble | lyricist | |
Victor | D9VB-1229 | 10-in. | 4/1/1949 | Smiles | Main Street String Band | String band, with vocal ensemble | lyricist | |
Columbia | 39356 | 10-in. | 5/8/1914 | You planted a rose in the garden of love | Henry Burr | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 39505 | 10-in. | 7/27/1914 | Diane of the green van | Nora Watson | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 45642 | 10-in. | 5/17/1915 | I want a little love from you | Ada Jones ; Will C. Robbins | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 47374 | 10-in. | 2/15/1917 | The story of Old Glory, the flag we love | James F. Harrison ; George Wilson [James Harrod] | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 77971 | 10-in. | 7/26/1918 | Smiles | Henry Burr ; Albert Campbell | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 78051 | 10-in. | 9/17/1918 | A little birch canoe and you | Sterling Trio | Male vocal trio, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 78228 | 10-in. | 12/24/1918 | After all | Henry Burr ; Albert Campbell | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 78260 | 10-in. | 1/22/1919 | You don't know | Samuel Ash | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 78290 | 10-in. | 2/5/1919 | After all | Henry Burr | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 78552 | 10-in. | 7/11/1919 | Tell me | Irving Kaufman ; Joseph M. Knecht ; Waldorf-Astoria Dance Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | lyricist | |
Columbia | 78722 | 10-in. | 10/4/1919 | Tell me | Al Jolson | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 78734 | 10-in. | 10/12/1919 | Patches | Nora Bayes | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 78830 | 10-in. | 11/26/1919 | Some day you'll know | George Meader | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 78867 | 10-in. | 12/17/1919 | Some day you'll know | Henry Burr | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 79051 | 10-in. | 3/16/1920 | In the afterglow | Hulda Lashanska | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 79753 | 10-in. | 3/3/1921 | In the afterglow | Barbara Maurel | Mezzo-soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | 79779 | 10-in. | 3/7/1921 | Broken moon | Nora Bayes | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Columbia | W147486 | 10-in. | 11/23/1928 | Ceasing to care | James Melton | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
OKeh | 314 | 10-in. | ca. Aug. 1918 | Smiles | Franklyn Kent ; Ruth Lenox | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
OKeh | 498 | 10-in. | ca. Dec. 1918 | After all | Henry Burr ; Albert Campbell | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
OKeh | 538 | 10-in. | ca. Dec. 1918 | A little birch canoe and you | Sterling Trio | Male vocal trio, with orchestra | lyricist | |
OKeh | 588 | 10-in. | ca. Jan. 1919 | You don't know | Samuel Ash | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
OKeh | S-721 | 10-in. | ca. June 1919 | You don't know | Samuel Ash | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
OKeh | S-71649 | 10-in. | June 1923 | I'll be straying back to Ireland | Gerald Griffin | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
OKeh | [OK cat 1262-A] | 10-in. | approximately 1919 | Tell me | Joseph A. Phillips | Male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Brunswick | [Br cat 5255-b] | 10-in. | approximately Aug. 1918 | A little birch bark canoe and you | Sterling Trio | Male vocal trio, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Brunswick | 15753-15756 | 10-in. | 5/19/1925 | Give me one rose to remember | Mario Chamlee | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Brunswick | E30540-E30541 | 10-in. | 9/9/1929 | Smiles | Five Pennies ; Red Nichols | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) | lyricist | |
Brunswick | 770W-772W | 10-in. | 5/1/1925 | Just count the stars | Colin O'More | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Brunswick | 841W-843W | 10-in. | 5/22/1925 | Just count the stars | Colin O'More | Male vocal solo, with string quartet, tuba, and piano | lyricist | |
Edison | 4741 | 10-in. | 5/23/1916 | After all | Charles Harrison | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 6254 | 10-in. | between 7/1/1918 and 7/5/1918 | Smiles | Harmony Four | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 6414 | 10-in. | 10/23/1918 | A little birch canoe and you | Manuel Romain | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 6420 | 10-in. | between 10/10/1918 and 10/23/1918 | Smiles | Marie Rappold | Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 6448 | 10-in. | between 11/6/1918 and 11/8/1918 | When I come home to you | Lyric Male Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 6611 | 10-in. | 2/6/1919 | Mammy's lullaby | Premier Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 6648 | 10-in. | 3/4/1919 | After all | Irving Kaufman | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 7084 | 10-in. | 1/2/1920 | In the afterglow | Marie Morrisey | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 18705 | 10-in. | 9/5/1928 | The gateway of dreams | Elliott Stewart | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | 19037 | 10-in. | 2/7/1929 | Down the highway of dreams | Westell Gordon | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | N-411 | 12-in. | 9/5/1928 | The gateway of dreams | Elliott Stewart | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Edison | N-728 | 10-in. | 2/7/1929 | Down the highway of dreams | Westell Gordon | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Callahan, J. Will," accessed October 13, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/109488.
Callahan, J. Will. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 13, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/109488.
"Callahan, J. Will." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 13 October 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: J. Will Callahan
IMSLP: J. Will Callahan
RISM: J. Will Callahan
IMDb: J. Will Callahan
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Callahan, J. Will, 1874-1946 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no93008266
Wikidata: J. Will Callahan - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q18149290
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/61114585
ISNI: 0000 0000 7380 6284 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000073806284
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