Sol Marcus
Sol Marcus (October 1, 1912 – February 5, 1976) was an American songwriter and pianist. Born in New York, he began working as a songwriter with Bennie Benjamin and Eddie Seiler (1911–1952) in the mid-1930s. He had his first writing successes with "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" (1941), co-written with Benjamin, Seiler, and Eddie Durham, and "When the Lights Go On Again (All Over the World)" (1942), co-written with Benjamin and Seiler. Later in the 1940s, he had further success with "Till Then" (1945), a hit for the Mills Brothers co-written with Seiler and Guy Wood; and "Ask Anyone Who Knows", written with Seiler and Al Kaufman for The Ink Spots. He re-established a writing partnership with Bennie Benjamin in the mid-1950s. They wrote "Fabulous Character" for Sarah Vaughan, and "Lonely Man" for Elvis Presley. In 1964, Marcus and Benjamin wrote "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" with Horace Ott, whose songwriting credit was taken by his wife Gloria Caldwell because Ott, as a BMI member, was not permitted to work with ASCAP members such as Marcus and Benjamin. The song was first recorded by Nina Simone, and was later a hit for The Animals, Santa Esmeralda, and Elvis Costello. Marcus died in 1976 in Linden, New Jersey. |
Birth and Death Data: Born October 1, 1912 (New York City), Died February 5, 1976 (Linden)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1939 - 1949
Roles Represented in DAHR: songwriter, lyricist, composer
= 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 | BS-040688 | 10-in. | 8/28/1939 | You're gonna fall and break your heart | Carl Lorch Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Victor | BS-047796 | 10-in. | 3/11/1940 | I don't want to set the world on fire | Harlan Leonard ; Rockets ; Myra Taylor | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-051262 | 10-in. | 6/10/1940 | Ashes in the tray | Dolores Brown ; Erskine Hawkins Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-053209 | 10-in. | 7/15/1940 | My pop gave me a nickel | Harlan Leonard ; Rockets ; Myra Taylor | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-064807 | 10-in. | 8/25/1941 | I don't want to set the world on fire | Skinnay Ennis Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-064975 | 10-in. | 10/10/1941 | I don't want to set the world on fire | Cats and the Fiddle | Male vocal solo, with vocal and instrumental quartet | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-067670 | 10-in. | 8/25/1941 | I don't want to set the world on fire | Mitchell Ayres ; Meredith Blake ; Fashions-in-Music ; Four Trumpet-Ayres | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and male vocal quartet | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-067753 | 10-in. | 9/5/1941 | I don't want to set the world on fire | Dick Todd | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-068445 | 10-in. | 11/28/1941 | Cancel the flowers | Mitchell Ayres ; Warren Covington ; Fashions-in-Music | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | BS-071405 | 10-in. | 9/25/1941 | The clock is fast | Bob Chester Orchestra ; Betty Bradley | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-071764 | 10-in. | 2/2/1942 | I don't want to set the world on fire | Hit Paraders ; Mark Warnow Orchestra ; Barry Wood | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and mixed vocal ensemble | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-074380 | 10-in. | 5/27/1942 | Strictly instrumental | Bob Chester Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
Victor | BS-074789 | 10-in. | 7/29/1942 | When the lights go on again (All over the world) | New Music [Shep Fields] ; Ralph Young | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-075421 | 10-in. | 7/8/1942 | When the lights go on again (All over the world) | Vaughn Monroe's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-075440 | 10-in. | 7/22/1942 | When the lights go on again (All over the world) | Dick Todd | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Victor | D5VB-0592 | 10-in. | 9/5/1945 | Fishin' for the moon | Norton Sisters ; Vaughn Monroe's Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with female vocal group and jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Victor | D6VB-2018 | 10-in. | 2/6/1946 | Ah dee ah dee ah | John Ryan ; Sportsmen Quartet | Male vocal solo, with vocal quartet and jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Victor | D6VB-2879 | 10-in. | 9/25/1946 | And then it's heaven | Don Cornell ; Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Victor | D7VB-0460 | 10-in. | 2/13/1947 | You can't hide your heart behind a kiss | Moon Maids ; Vaughn Monroe's Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with female vocal ensemble and jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Victor | D7VB-0657 | 10-in. | 3/17/1947 | Ask anyone who knows | Don Cornell ; Sammy Kaye Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Victor | D7VB-0946 | 10-in. | 6/4/1947 | How many kisses (does it take to make you fall in love with me) | Pat Flowers ; Rhythm (Pat Flowers) | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Victor | D7VB-2762 | 10-in. | 12/28/1947 | To remind me of you | Charles Dant Orchestra ; Dennis Day | Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
Victor | D8VB-4075 | 10-in. | 12/15/1948 | Don't lie to me (I may believe you) | Moon Maids ; Vaughn Monroe's Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with female vocal group and instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
Victor | D9VB-0540 | 10-in. | 2/28/1949 | Because you love me | Charles Dant ; Dennis Day ; The Rhythmaires | Male vocal solo, with vocal group and instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
Columbia | H522 | 10-in. | 9/26/1941 | I don't want to set the world on fire | Gene Autry | Male vocal solo, with string band | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Marcus, Sol," accessed November 7, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/206243.
Marcus, Sol. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 7, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/206243.
"Marcus, Sol." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 7 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Marcus, Sol, 1912-1976 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nb99190350
Wikidata: Sol Marcus - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q29157798
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/43801616
MusicBrainz: Sol Marcus - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/cfd8a145-f1fd-444e-9191-2c0336611fa5
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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