Tom Lemonier (March 29, 1870 — March 14, 1945)[1] was an actor and composer of popular music during the ragtime era, particularly active in Black Vaudeville.[2][3][4] His work featured in various musicals.[5] Some of his work was published by the Gotham-Attucks Music Publishing Company.[6] Numerous recordings of his songs were made including on Victor Records and Columbia Records.[3] In 1909 he joined the staff of music publisher Rose & Snyder.[7]

Lemonier became one of the first African-American actors to perform in a Caucasian play when in 1910 he was hired to play a steward in William A. Brady's production of Over Night.[8] Previously these characters had been performed in blackface.[8] Lemonier's abilities and the positive reception he received convinced Brady to hire additional African-American actors for the role in touring versions of the show.[8]

Playbill notes him as a performer in the 1912 musical Little Miss Brown.[9] In addition to the original production, he was part of a national tour of this show.[10] In 1915 Lemonier wrote the anthem, entitled Praise God We Are Not Weary, for the National Half Century Exposition and Lincoln Jubilee.[11]

Lemonier collaborated with various other musicians and lyricists to produce compositions.[12] In 1917, Lemonier established a sheet music business with Lew Payton and Tom Brown.[13] He appeared on radio station WGY in 1923 as a whistler.[14] In 1926 he was concentrating entirely on sacred music.[15]

Views on Civil rights

Lemonier opined that Civil rights should be acquired over a period of time, and that forcing the issue would generate hatred instead of progress.[15]

List of selected compositions

  • Adopted Child, with W. J. Carle, music; words by Henry Creamer. Recorded 1912 by Bob Roberts.[16]
  • Dear Old Moonlight, music; words by Henry Creamer. Recorded by the Peerless Quartet.[17]
  • Good Afternoon, Mr. Jenkins, music; words by Cecil Mack. Recorded 1901 by George Walker.[18]
  • Honey Lou, music; lyrics by Ed Rose. Recorded 1908 by Collins & Harlan.[19] Joel Whitburn estimates the Victor Records version was the sixth best selling recording of late January, 1909.[20]
  • I Wonder What Makes It Snow, music; lyrics by Tom Brown. Recorded 1904 by Billy Murray.[21]
  • I'd Like to Be a Real Lady. Recorded 1908 by Collins & Harlan.[22]
  • I'll Be Your Dewdrop Rosey, music; words by Richard H. Gerard. Included in show "Foxy Grandpa", where originally performed by Joseph Hart and Carrie DeMar.[23]
  • I'm Just Barely Livin', Dat's All, music; words by Harry Brown. Recorded 1904 by Bob Roberts.[24]
  • In My Old Home (in Dixie Land), music; words by Mord Allen. Performed by Bert Williams.[25]
  • Is Everybody Happy? (1905) with Ernest Hogan, music; words by Frank Williams. Included in musical play Rufus Rastus.[26] Recorded circa 1905 by Arthur Collins.[27]
  • Junie, music; words by Cecil Mack. Recorded 1901 by George Walker.[28]
  • Just One Word of Consolation, with Frank B. Williams. Recorded 1906 by Harry Tally. Recorded 1911 by Will Oakland.[29] Recorded 1928 by Scrappy Lambert.[30] Recorded 1936 by Bing Crosby.[31][3]
  • Lovie Dear, music; words by Fred Bonny. Originally performed by Aida Overton Walker.[32]
  • Mary Ellen, music; words by Alfred Bryan. Recorded 1904 by Billy Murray.[33]
  • Miss Hannah from Savannah, music; words by Cecil Mack. Originally performed by Aida Overton Walker.[34]
  • My Cabin Door, music; words by Grant Stewart. Originally performed by Hattie Williams and Sam Bernard in musical production The Rollicking Girl[35]
  • My Dear Luzon, music; words by Jesse A. Shipp.[36] Featured in Broadway musical In Dahomey.[4]
  • Play That Rag, music; words by Ed Rose. Recorded 1908 by Collins and Harlan.[37]
  • Sweetness, music; words by Henry Creamer.[38] Recorded 1910 by the Peerless Quartet.[39]
  • That Was Me, music; words by Ed Rose. Recorded 1909 by Bob Roberts.[40]

References

  1. ↑ The ASCAP Biographical Dictionary of Composers, Authors and Publishers. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. 1952. p. 300.
  2. ↑ "Lemonier, Tom 1870-1945 [WorldCat Identities]".
  3. 1 2 3 "Lemonier, Tom - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu.
  4. 1 2 Riis, Thomas Laurence, ed. (1996). The Music and Scripts of In Dahomey. American Musicological Society. p. vi. ISBN 9780895793423.
  5. ↑ "Tom Lemonier – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
  6. ↑ Price, Emmett George; Maxille, Horace (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Music. ABC-CLIO. p. 101. ISBN 9780313342004.
  7. ↑ Walton, Lester A. (February 4, 1909). "Music and the Stage" (PDF). The New York Age. p. 6. Also as announced in advertisement on same page.
  8. 1 2 3 Walton, Lester A. (October 5, 1911). "Music and the Stage". The New York Age. p. 6 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Tom Lemonier". Playbill.
  10. ↑ "Little Miss Brown". The Modesto Bee. Modesto, California. March 29, 1913. p. 3 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Lincoln jubilee album : 50th anniversary of our emancipation, held in Chicago August 22d to September 16th, 1915". Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Tom Lemonier | Levy Music Collection". levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu.
  13. ↑ Abbott, Lynn; Seroff, Doug (18 September 2009). Out of Sight: The Rise of African American Popular Music, 1889-1895. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781604730395.
  14. ↑ "Flashes Out of the Air". The Post-Crescent. Appleton, Wisconsin. October 12, 1923. p. 7 – via newspapers.com.
  15. 1 2 "Tom Lemonier Talks of "Lulu Belle" and Jumps". The Pittsburgh Courier. January 30, 1926. p. 9 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix B-11904. Adopted child / Bob Roberts," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/1000003869/B-11904-Adopted_child.
  17. ↑ Dear old moonlight. OCLC 1135064473. Retrieved September 23, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  18. ↑ Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix [Pre-matrix B-]996. Good afternoon, Mr. Jenkins / George Walker," accessed September 23, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000000452/Pre-matrix_B-996-Good_afternoon_Mr._Jenkins.
  19. ↑ Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix B-6468. Honey Lou / Collins and Harlan," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200007416/B-6468-Honey_Lou.
  20. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. p. 93. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  21. ↑ Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix A-1079. I wonder what makes it snow / Billy Murray," accessed September 23, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200001915/A-1079-I_wonder_what_makes_it_snow.
  22. ↑ Honey Lou. OCLC 45091989. Retrieved September 23, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  23. ↑ I'll be your dewdrop Rosey. OCLC 498100124. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  24. ↑ Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix A-893. I'm just barely livin', dat's all / Bob Roberts," accessed September 23, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200001596/A-893-Im_just_barely_livin_dats_all.
  25. ↑ In My Old Home (In Dixie Land). OCLC 259723007. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  26. ↑ Is everybody happy?. OCLC 498697021. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  27. ↑ Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Columbia matrix 3332. Is everybody happy? / Arthur Collins," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000138889/3332-Is_everybody_happy.
  28. ↑ Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix [Pre-matrix A-]995. Junie / George Walker," accessed September 23, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/100001004/Pre-matrix_A-995-Junie.
  29. ↑ Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Columbia matrix 19409. Just one word of consolation / Will Oakland," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000020315/19409-Just_one_word_of_consolation.
  30. ↑ Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Brunswick matrix E7260. Just one word of consolation / Scrappy Lambert," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000226282/E7260-Just_one_word_of_consolation.
  31. ↑ Just one word of consolation. OCLC 134991950. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  32. ↑ Lovie Dear. OCLC 68194716. Retrieved September 23, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  33. ↑ Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix B-885. Mary Ellen / Billy Murray," accessed September 23, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200001583/B-885-Mary_Ellen.
  34. ↑ Miss Hannah from Savannah. OCLC 68194700. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  35. ↑ My Cabin Door. OCLC 498100294. Retrieved September 23, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  36. ↑ "My dear Luzon". Library of Congress.
  37. ↑ Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix B-6467. Play that rag / Collins and Harlan," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200007415/B-6467-Play_that_rag.
  38. ↑ Lemonier, Tom; Creamer, Henry S. (August 7, 1910). Sweetness. Gotham Attucks Music Co. – via digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu.
  39. ↑ Sweetness. OCLC 42017672. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  40. ↑ Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Columbia matrix 4003. That was me / Bob Roberts," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000139560/4003-That_was_me.
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