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Jerome Kern

Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A Fine Romance", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Song Is You", "All the Things You Are", "The Way You Look Tonight" and "Long Ago (and Far Away)". He collaborated with many of the leading librettists and lyricists of his era, including George Grossmith Jr., Guy Bolton, P. G. Wodehouse, Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Fields, Johnny Mercer, Ira Gershwin and Yip Harburg.

A native New Yorker, Kern created dozens of Broadway musicals and Hollywood films in a career that lasted for more than four decades. His musical innovations, such as 4/4 dance rhythms and the employment of syncopation and jazz progressions, built on, rather than rejected, earlier musical theatre tradition. He and his collaborators also employed his melodies to further the action or develop characterization to a greater extent than in the other musicals of his day, creating the model for later musicals. Although dozens of Kern's musicals and musical films were hits, only Show Boat is now regularly revived. Songs from his other shows, however, are still frequently performed and adapted. Many of Kern's songs have been adapted by jazz musicians to become standard tunes.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 27, 1885 (Manhattan), Died November 11, 1945 (New York City)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1905 - 1960

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist, piano, songwriter

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 51-75 of 611 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-19362 10-in. 3/12/1917 Nesting time in Flatbush Ada Jones ; Billy Murray Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-19365 12-in. 3/13/1917 Love o' Mike Victor Military Band Band composer  
Victor B-19397 10-in. 3/22/1917 Throw me a rose Meyer Davis Hungarian Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor C-19410 12-in. 3/26/1917 Oh boy Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
Victor B-19541 10-in. 4/2/1917 If I find the girl Stewart Jackson Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-19604 10-in. 4/18/1917 If I find the girl Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-20400 12-in. 7/19/1917 Gems from Oh boy! Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-20401 12-in. 7/19/1917 Gems from Ziegfeld follies of 1917 Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-20565 12-in. 9/17/1917 Leave it to Jane Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
Victor B-20813 10-in. 10/1/1917 Leave it to Jane Victor Opera Trio Mixed vocal trio, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-21010 10-in. 10/26/1917 The bungalow in Quogue Ada Jones ; Billy Murray Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-21152 10-in. 12/10/1917 Miss 1917 medley Waldorf-Astoria Dance Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor B-21222 10-in. 12/3/1917 The land where the good songs go Alice Green ; Charles Harrison Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-21401 12-in. 1/2/1918 Gems from Leave it to Jane Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-21603 12-in. 3/13/1918 Gems from Oh lady! Lady! Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-21805 10-in. 4/29/1918 Oh lady! Lady! Waldorf-Astoria Dance Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
Victor C-21903 12-in. 5/3/1918 Oh Lady! Lady! Victor Military Band Band composer  
Victor C-21998 12-in. 6/21/1918 Gems from Rock-a-bye baby Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-22078 10-in. 7/29/1918 Rock-a-bye baby Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
Victor C-22347 12-in. 12/16/1918 Head over heels Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with piano duet composer  
Victor B-22348 10-in. 12/16/1918 Canary Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
Victor B-22692 10-in. 4/16/1919 The first rose of summer John McCormack Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-23001 12-in. 6/12/1919 Gems from She's a good fellow Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-23697 10-in. 2/24/1920 Left all alone again blues Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
Victor B-23698 10-in. 2/24/1920 Whose baby are you? Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
(Results 51-75 of 611 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Kern, Jerome," accessed November 4, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102963.

Kern, Jerome. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102963.

"Kern, Jerome." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 4 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/102963

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