Dick McDonough
Richard Tobin McDonough (July 30, 1904 – May 25, 1938) was an American jazz guitarist and banjoist. Perhaps best remembered for his duets with fellow guitarist Carl Kress, McDonough appeared on numerous record sessions and radio broadcasts throughout the 1920s and 1930s. McDonough began playing banjo and mandolin in high school. An athlete, he initially played left-handed because, according to McDonough, that was how he held his hockey stick. At Georgetown University, he performed professionally at weekend dances and two years later started a band. He attended Columbia Law School after college and while there played with bands in New York City. McDonough played with Red Nichols in 1927 as a banjoist, and soon after played with Paul Whiteman. He began studying the guitar and eventually was in demand for session work, recording with The Dorsey Brothers, Red Nichols, and Miff Mole. In the 1930s, he performed in a duo with jazz guitarist Carl Kress and cut several sessions with an orchestra under his own name, in addition to backing many other recording artists. Other credits include session work with Mildred Bailey, Smith Ballew, The Boswell Sisters, Rube Bloom, Chick Bullock, The Charleston Chasers, Cliff Edwards, Gene Gifford, Benny Goodman, Adelaide Hall, Annette Hanshaw, Billie Holiday, Baby Rose Marie, Glenn Miller, Irving Mills, Red McKenzie, Johnny Mercer, Red Norvo, Fred Rich, Adrian Rollini, Pee Wee Russell, Ben Selvin, Artie Shaw, Frank Signorelli, Jack Teagarden, Claude Thornhill, Frankie Trumbauer, Joe Venuti, Don Voorhees, and Ethel Waters. He played in the Jam Session at Victor with Fats Waller, Bunny Berigan, and George Wettling. McDonough struggled with alcohol abuse during his adult life and died, aged 34, of pneumonia in May 1938 at the LeRoy Sanitarium after an operation. He was survived by his widow, Dorothy Wiggman. |
Birth and Death Data: Born July 30, 1904 (New York City), Died May 25, 1938 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1927 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, banjo, songwriter, leader
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 101 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-78262 | 10-in. | 10/20/1933 | Not for all the rice in China | Roy Bargy ; Ramona | Piano duet, with female vocal solo and instrumental trio | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-78264 | 10-in. | 10/20/1933 | I found a new way to go to town | Roy Bargy ; Ramona | Piano duet, with female vocal solo and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-78265 | 10-in. | 10/20/1933 | I'm no angel | Roy Bargy ; Ramona | Piano duet, with female vocal solo and instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-89794 | 10-in. | 5/13/1935 | Nothin' but the blues | Gene Gifford Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-89795 | 10-in. | 5/13/1935 | New Orleans twist | Gene Gifford Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-89796 | 10-in. | 5/13/1935 | Squareface | Gene Gifford Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with talk | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-89797 | 10-in. | 5/13/1935 | Dizzy glide | Gene Gifford Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-03032 | 10-in. | 11/10/1936 | An apple a day | Barry McKinley ; Ruby Newman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-03033 | 10-in. | 11/10/1936 | One never knows—does one? | Barry McKinley ; Ruby Newman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-03034 | 10-in. | 11/10/1936 | Down in the depths | Florence Case ; Ruby Newman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
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 | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-06581 | 10-in. | 3/31/1937 | A jam session at Victor (Honeysuckle rose) | Bunny Berigan ; Tommy Dorsey ; Dick McDonough ; Fats Waller ; George Wettling | Jazz/dance quintet | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-06582 | 10-in. | 3/31/1937 | A jam session at Victor (Blues-fox trot) | Bunny Berigan ; Tommy Dorsey ; Dick McDonough ; Fats Waller ; George Wettling | Jazz/dance quintet | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-07785 | 10-in. | 4/13/1937 | Carelessly | Kay Thompson Orchestra ; Rhythm Singers | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and mixed vocal ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-07786 | 10-in. | 4/13/1937 | There's a lull in my life | Kay Thompson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-07787 | 10-in. | 4/13/1937 | It had to be you | Kay Thompson Orchestra ; Rhythm Singers | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and female vocal ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-07788 | 10-in. | 4/13/1937 | Exactly like you | Kay Thompson Orchestra ; Rhythm Singers | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and male vocal ensemble | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-011080 | 10-in. | 7/9/1937 | Caravan | Southern Rhythm Kings | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-011081 | 10-in. | 7/9/1937 | So many memories | Musical Musketeers ; Jimmy Ray | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-011082 | 10-in. | 7/9/1937 | The song of the Marines (We're shovin' right off again) | Musical Musketeers ; Jimmy Ray | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-011083 | 10-in. | 7/9/1937 | Josephine | Southern Rhythm Kings | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-011084 | 10-in. | 7/9/1937 | My cabin of dreams | Musical Musketeers ; Jimmy Ray | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-011085 | 10-in. | 7/9/1937 | The dream in my heart | Musical Musketeers ; Jimmy Ray | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-011086 | 10-in. | 7/9/1937 | Shame on you | Jimmy Ray Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BS-011087 | 10-in. | 7/9/1937 | Sticks and stones (Will break my heart) | Jimmy Ray Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, guitar |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "McDonough, Dick," accessed November 2, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/103520.
McDonough, Dick. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 2, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/103520.
"McDonough, Dick." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Dick McDonough
Discogs: Dick McDonough
Allmusic: Dick McDonough
Grove: Dick McDonough
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: McDonough, Dick, 1904-1938 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82028131
Wikidata: Dick McDonough - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1209730
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/59274440
MusicBrainz: Dick McDonough - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/42539222-0b9d-4c5f-828e-17a1bacdc5c8
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