Irving Kahal
Irving Kahal (March 5, 1903, Houtzdale, Pennsylvania – February 7, 1942, New York City) was a popular American song lyricist active in the 1920s and 1930s. He is best remembered for his collaborations with composer Sammy Fain which started in 1926 when Kahal was working in vaudeville sketches written by Gus Edwards. Their collaboration lasted 16 years, until Kahal's death in 1942. Among many fine songs, the stand-out was "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me" on which Pierre Norman lent a hand, which was sung by Maurice Chevalier in the film The Big Pond (1930) effectively becoming his signature tune, and featured by Frank Sinatra on his magisterial album Songs For Swingin' Lovers. The Fain/Kahal catalogue also includes "Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella" (1928) with Francis Wheeler, "Wedding Bells Are Breaking Up That Old Gang of Mine" (1929) with Willie Raskin, "By a Waterfall" (1930), "When I Take My Sugar to Tea" (1931) with Pierre Norman, "I Can Dream, Can't I?" (1938) and "I'll Be Seeing You", which was written in 1938, but became a hit in 1943 especially among the families of servicemen sent overseas. In 1970, Irving Kahal was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. |
Birth and Death Data: Born March 5, 1903 (Houtzdale), Died February 7, 1942 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1925 - 1947
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, songwriter, composer, vocalist, translator
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 272 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BVE-37528 | 10-in. | 1/10/1927 | If you can't hold the man you love (Don't cry when he's gone) | Duke Ellington Orchestra ; Evelyn Preer | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-38723 | 10-in. | 5/4/1927 | I haven't told her, she hasn't told me (But we know it just the same) | Franklyn Baur ; Johnny Hamp ; Kentucky Serenaders | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-39091 | 10-in. | 7/7/1927 | I ain't that kind of baby | Ben Pollack Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-39143 | 10-in. | 9/1/1927 | It was only a sunshower | Charlie Farrell ; Jim Miller | Male vocal duet, with lute, guitar, and piano | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-39168 | 10-in. | 9/8/1927 | Roam on my little Gypsy sweetheart | The Revelers | Male vocal quartet, with piano | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-39271 | 10-in. | 6/20/1927 | Mississippi mud | Rhythm Boys | Male vocal trio, with piano | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-39381 | 10-in. | 11/1/1927 | For my baby | Jack Smith | Male vocal solo, with piano | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-39582 | 10-in. | 8/24/1927 | Roam on, my little Gypsy sweetheart | Ted Weems Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-39876 | 10-in. | 10/5/1927 | It was only a sun shower | Carroll C. Tate | Male vocal solo, with piano (self-accompaniment) | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-40000 | 10-in. | 9/8/1927 | It was only a sun shower | Ted Weems Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-40947 | 10-in. | 11/25/1927 | That's how I know I love you | Nan Blackstone | Female vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-41050 | 10-in. | 11/18/1927 | Baltimore | Four Aristocrats | Male vocal quartet, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-41141 | 10-in. | 12/5/1927 | Baltimore | Four Aristocrats | Male vocal quartet, with instrumental quartet | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-41633 | 10-in. | 1/20/1928 | Let a smile be your umbrella (On a rainy rainy day) | Dewey Bergman ; Webster Hall Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | PBVE-42002 | 10-in. | 2/14/1928 | There's something about a rose (That reminds me of you) | Eddie Harkness Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-42420 | 10-in. | 2/8/1928 | Let a smile be your umbrella (On a rainy day) | Roger Wolfe Kahn Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-42428 | 10-in. | 2/9/1928 | The beggar | Harold Lambert ; Nathaniel Shilkret ; Victor Orchestra | Orchestra, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-49989 | 10-in. | 2/23/1929 | Wedding bells (Are breaking up that old gang of mine) | Gene Austin ; Dick Robertson ; Ed Smalle | Male vocal solo and male vocal trio, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-50520 | 10-in. | 2/24/1929 | Wedding bells (Are breaking up that old gang of mine) | Art Kassel ; "Kassels-in-the-Air" Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal chorus and talk | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-50932 | 10-in. | 3/12/1929 | Wedding bells (Are breaking up that old gang of mine) | Elliott Shaw ; Nathaniel Shilkret ; Victor Orchestra | Orchestra, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-51600 | 10-in. | 4/2/1929 | The things that were made for love | Aileen Stanley | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-51611 | 10-in. | 4/5/1929 | If I give up the saxophone (Will you come back to me?) | Eddie Cantor | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-53093 | 10-in. | 5/11/1931 | (There ought to be a) Moonlight saving time | High Hatters ; Leonard W. Joy ; Frank Luther | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-53439 | 10-in. | 5/24/1929 | A high silk hat and a walking cane | Frank Crumit | Male vocal solo, with guitar and organ | lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-53440 | 10-in. | 5/24/1929 | Mountains ain't no place for bad men | Frank Crumit | Male vocal solo, with guitar and organ | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Kahal, Irving," accessed October 3, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/116675.
Kahal, Irving. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 3, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/116675.
"Kahal, Irving." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 3 October 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Irving Kahal
Discogs: Irving Kahal
Allmusic: Irving Kahal
IMDb: Irving Kahal
Britannica: Irving Kahal
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Kahal, Irving, 1903-1942 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr96011493
Wikidata: Irving Kahal - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q6074648
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/22404417
MusicBrainz: Irving Kahal - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/52505c68-e341-4983-8c79-0df53d1ad111
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.