Will Irwin
William C. K. Irwin (3 January 1907 – 23 October 1998) was an American pianist, conductor, and songwriter. Irwin was born in San Francisco, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. With Australian composer Percy Grainger, Irwin studied composition before joining the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. The musical theatre composer Vernon Duke introduced Irwin to composer and songwriter George Gershwin in the 1920s. Irwin would subsequently join Gershwin and pianist Oscar Levant in piano improvisations at Gershwin's apartment. Irwin began a six-year professional relationship with songwriter and composer Irving Berlin, after being introduced to him by Gershwin. As Berlin could not read or write music Irwin would write down music as Berlin composed, often writing music down for Berlin in the middle of the night. Irwin was professionally engaged as the musical director of touring productions of the musicals Oklahoma!, South Pacific and The King and I in the 1940s. In the 1960s Irwin became the choral director for Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall and later the halls staff composer and musical director. Irwin retired in 1979, and his wife Helen, died in 1984. They had a son, Dean, who was a television producer for ABC News. Irwin had lived in Staten Island for many years before his death in 1998. |
Birth and Death Data: Born January 3, 1907, Died October 23, 1998
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1926 - 1949
Roles Represented in DAHR: conductor, 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-87226 | 10-in. | 1/2/1935 | Love, come take me | Jolly Coburn Orchestra ; Harold van Emburgh | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | BS-03035 | 10-in. | 11/10/1936 | What a dummy love has made of me | Florence Case ; Ruby Newman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | composer | |
Victor | BS-03887 | 10-in. | 1/5/1937 | Long as you have your health | Merry Macs ; Ray Noble Orchestra | Jazz dance band, with female vocal solo and male vocal trio | composer | |
Victor | BS-058267 | 10-in. | 12/17/1940 | How did it get so late, so early | Bea Wain | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | composer | |
Brunswick | XE20581-XE20583 | 12-in. | 10/29/1926 | An American tragedy, part 1 | Orchestra (unidentified; Brunswick Records) | Orchestra | composer | |
Brunswick | XE20584-XE20585 | 12-in. | 10/29/1926 | An American tragedy, part 2 | Orchestra (unidentified; Brunswick Records) | Orchestra | composer | |
Decca | 75620 | 12/22/1949 | Texas, li'l darlin' | Kenny Delmar | conductor | |||
Decca | 75621 | 12/22/1949 | Hootin' owl trail | Danny Scholl | conductor | |||
Decca | 75622 | 12/22/1949 | The big movie show in the sky | Danny Scholl | conductor | |||
Decca | 75623 | 12/22/1949 | Reprise : The yodel blues | Kenny Delmar | conductor | |||
Decca | 75624 | 12/22/1949 | Affable, balding me | Fredd Wayne | conductor | |||
Decca | 75625 | 12/22/1949 | A month of Sundays | Mary Hatcher ; Danny Scholl ; Fredd Wayne | conductor | |||
Decca | 75626 | 12/22/1949 | The yodel blues | Kenny Delmar ; Mary Hatcher | conductor | |||
Decca | 75627 | 12/22/1949 | Politics | Kenny Delmar ; Loring Smith | conductor |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Irwin, Will," accessed November 5, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/100352.
Irwin, Will. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 5, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/100352.
"Irwin, Will." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 5 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: William C. K. Irwin
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Irwin, Will, 1907- - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2001064203
Wikidata: William C. K. Irwin - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q16014077
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/21488458
ISNI: 0000 0000 3772 0088 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000037720088
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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