Ballard MacDonald

Ballard MacDonald (October 15, 1882 – November 17, 1935) was an American lyricist, who was one of the writers of Tin Pan Alley.

Born in Portland, Oregon, he was a charter member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

MacDonald wrote lyrics for a song called "Play That Barber-Shop Chord" in 1910, which became a hit with revised lyrics when it was sung in the Ziegfeld Follies by vaudeville star Bert Williams. He subsequently worked with composer Harry Carroll on "On the Mississippi" (1912) and "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" (1912, based on the novel of the same name). He also partnered with James F. Hanley, which produced the 1917 hit "(Back Home Again in) Indiana".

In the early 1920s, MacDonald turned his attention to Broadway revues, which in 1924 brought him his most notable musical collaborator in George Gershwin. In 1926, MacDonald teamed up with Walter Donaldson to write songs for the Broadway show Sweetheart Time.

Thumbs Up! was MacDonald's final Broadway show. He died in Forest Hills, New York.

Birth and Death Data: Born October 15, 1882 (Portland), Died November 17, 1935 (Queens)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1910 - 1949

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

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

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 273 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-9122 10-in. 6/21/1910 Nix on the glow worm, Lena Ada Jones Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-9345 10-in. 8/16/1910 I've got the time, I've got the place, but it's hard to find the girl Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-9381 10-in. 8/29/1910 Nix on the glow-worm, Lena Billy Murray Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-10152 10-in. 4/5/1911 The Mississippi dippy dip Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-10180 10-in. 4/13/1911 Hello summer! Billy Murray Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-12524 10-in. 10/22/1912 On the Mississippi American Quartet Male vocal quartet lyricist  
Victor B-12984 10-in. 3/12/1913 Roll on, Missouri Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-12988 10-in. 3/12/1913 The trail of the lonesome pine Edna Brown ; James F. Harrison Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-13260 10-in. 5/9/1913 It takes a little rain with the sunshine to make the world go round Walter Van Brunt Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-13515 10-in. 7/3/1913 There's a girl in the heart of Maryland (With a heart that belongs to me) Harry Macdonough Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-13625 10-in. 7/23/1913 I love the moonlight Helen Clark ; Walter Van Brunt Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-14361 10-in. 1/22/1914 Let's all go 'round to Mary Ann's Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-14579 10-in. 3/17/1914 Off with the old love, on with the new Henry Burr ; Albert Campbell Male vocal duet, with bells and orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-15157 10-in. 8/28/1914 The fatherland, the motherland, the land of my best girl Irving Kaufman Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-15289 10-in. 10/20/1914 The war in Snider's grocery store Billy Murray Male vocal solo, with orchestra songwriter  
Victor B-15406 10-in. 11/18/1914 Tip-top Tipperary Mary Peerless Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-15612 10-in. 1/20/1915 The little house upon the hill James F. Harrison ; James Reed Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-15963 10-in. 4/28/1915 On my way to New Orleans Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-16174 10-in. 7/6/1915 Piney Ridge Irving Kaufman Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-16224 10-in. 7/16/1915 Down in Bom-Bombay Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-17202 10-in. 2/24/1916 Drip, drip, drip went the waterfall Marie Cahill Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-17739 10-in. 5/29/1916 The stormy sea of love M. J. O'Connell Male vocal solo, with xylophone and orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-18128 10-in. 7/18/1916 She is the sunshine of Virginia Henry Burr ; Albert Campbell Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-18170 10-in. 8/1/1916 Mississippi days Peerless Quartet Male vocal quartet, with banjo and orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-18566 10-in. 10/20/1916 How could Washington be a married man (And never tell a lie) M. J. O'Connell Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
(Results 1-25 of 273 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "MacDonald, Ballard," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/106626.

MacDonald, Ballard. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/106626.

"MacDonald, Ballard." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/106626

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