Maurice Abrahams

b. 18 March 1883, Russia, d. 13 Apr 1931, NY, USA. A composer and publisher whose most reliable numbers were created through the ragtime period, Abrahams was at the forefront from the initial well-known music ‘trend’ to sweep America and several various other countries. Abrahams proved helpful for many music web publishers before establishing his own solid in 1923. Throughout that period he was also composing songs such as for example ‘Hitchy-Koo’ (1912, with L. Wolfe Gilbert and Lewis F. Muir), which became the name of some Broadway displays some years later on, and ‘Ragtime Cowboy Joe’ (1912, with Muir and Offer Clarke), a catchy item which was a hit at that time for baritone Bob Roberts. It endured over time, and was effectively revived by Pinky Tomlin (1939), Eddy Howard (1947) and Jo Stafford (1949), and got into the very best 20 in both UK and USA in 1959 within a edition by David Seville and his cheeky Chipmunks. Another of Abrahams’ interesting numbers, ‘Obtain Out and obtain Under’ (complete title ‘He’d Need to get Under – Obtain Out and obtain Under – to repair Up His Vehicle,’ created with Clarke and Edgar Leslie), was interpolated in to the New York Wintertime Backyard revue The Pleasure Seekers in November 1913, where it had been performed by vaudeville superstar Bobby North, and was sung by Gerald Kirby afterwards that year within the London revue Hullo, Tango. The melody subsequently became well-known for the renowned entertainer Billy Murray. Abrahams’ various other compositions included ‘The Pullman Porters on Parade’ (1913, with Ren G. Might, reported to be a nom de plume for Irving Berlin), ‘The 20th Hundred years Rag’ (1914, Leslie-Clarke), ‘Consider Me compared to that Midnight Cakewalk Ball’ (1916, Eddie Cox-Arthur Jackson) and ‘Large, High, Large, Up in the Hillsides’ (1926, Sam M. Lewis-Joe Adolescent). Abrahams had written the latter music – and many more – for his wife, the vaudeville headliner, vocalist and comedienne Belle Baker (b. 25 Dec 1895, NY, USA, d. 28 Apr 1957, LA, California, USA). She got her 1st record strike in 1919 with ‘Poor Small Butterfly Is really a Soar Gal Right now,’ that was accompanied by ‘I’ve Got the Yes! WE’VE No Bananas Blues’ (1923), ‘Hard Hearted Hannah’ (1924), ‘My Guy’ (1929) and ‘My Sin’ (1929). Baker helped to popularize ‘Mamma Runs Where Papa Runs (Or Papa Don’t VENTURE OUT Tonight)’ (1923, Milton Ager-Jack Yellen), ‘Those Panama Mamas’ (1924, Irving Bibo-Howard Johnson) and ‘(Right here I Am) Broken Hearted’ (1927, De Sylva, Dark brown and Henderson), and presented two all-time criteria: Irving Berlin’s ‘Blue Skies’ within the 1926 Broadway musical Betsy and ‘All of Me’ (1931, Gerald Marks-Seymour Simons), which she sang on radio and in her vaudeville action.