Tom Lemonier

Tom Lemonier (March 29, 1870 — March 14, 1945)[1] was an actor and composer of popular music during the ragtime era, particularly active in Black Vaudeville.[2][3][4] His work featured in various musicals.[5] Some of his work was published by the Gotham-Attucks Music Publishing Company.[6] Numerous recordings of his songs were made including on Victor Records and Columbia Records.[3] In 1909 he joined the staff of music publisher Rose & Snyder.[7]

Lemonier became one of the first African-American actors to perform in a Caucasian play when in 1910 he was hired to play a steward in William A. Brady's production of Over Night.[8] Previously these characters had been performed in blackface.[8] Lemonier's abilities and the positive reception he received convinced Brady to hire additional African-American actors for the role in touring versions of the show.[8]

Playbill notes him as a performer in the 1912 musical Little Miss Brown.[9] In addition to the original production, he was part of a national tour of this show.[10] In 1915 Lemonier wrote the anthem, entitled Praise God We Are Not Weary, for the National Half Century Exposition and Lincoln Jubilee.[11]

Lemonier collaborated with various other musicians and lyricists to produce compositions.[12] In 1917, Lemonier established a sheet music business with Lew Payton and Tom Brown.[13] He appeared on radio station WGY in 1923 as a whistler.[14] In 1926 he was concentrating entirely on sacred music.[15]

Views on Civil rights

Lemonier opined that Civil rights should be acquired over a period of time, and that forcing the issue would generate hatred instead of progress.[15]

List of selected compositions
  • Adopted Child, with W. J. Carle, music; words by Henry Creamer. Recorded 1912 by Bob Roberts.[16]
  • Dear Old Moonlight, music; words by Henry Creamer. Recorded by the Peerless Quartet.[17]
  • Good Afternoon, Mr. Jenkins, music; words by Cecil Mack. Recorded 1901 by George Walker.[18]
  • Honey Lou, music; lyrics by Ed Rose. Recorded 1908 by Collins & Harlan.[19] Joel Whitburn estimates the Victor Records version was the sixth best selling recording of late January, 1909.[20]
  • I Wonder What Makes It Snow, music; lyrics by Tom Brown. Recorded 1904 by Billy Murray.[21]
  • I'd Like to Be a Real Lady. Recorded 1908 by Collins & Harlan.[22]
  • I'll Be Your Dewdrop Rosey, music; words by Richard H. Gerard. Included in show "Foxy Grandpa", where originally performed by Joseph Hart and Carrie DeMar.[23]
  • I'm Just Barely Livin', Dat's All, music; words by Harry Brown. Recorded 1904 by Bob Roberts.[24]
  • In My Old Home (in Dixie Land), music; words by Mord Allen. Performed by Bert Williams.[25]
  • Is Everybody Happy? (1905) with Ernest Hogan, music; words by Frank Williams. Included in musical play Rufus Rastus.[26] Recorded circa 1905 by Arthur Collins.[27]
  • Junie, music; words by Cecil Mack. Recorded 1901 by George Walker.[28]
  • Just One Word of Consolation, with Frank B. Williams. Recorded 1906 by Harry Tally. Recorded 1911 by Will Oakland.[29] Recorded 1928 by Scrappy Lambert.[30] Recorded 1936 by Bing Crosby.[31][3]
  • Lovie Dear, music; words by Fred Bonny. Originally performed by Aida Overton Walker.[32]
  • Mary Ellen, music; words by Alfred Bryan. Recorded 1904 by Billy Murray.[33]
  • Miss Hannah from Savannah, music; words by Cecil Mack. Originally performed by Aida Overton Walker.[34]
  • My Cabin Door, music; words by Grant Stewart. Originally performed by Hattie Williams and Sam Bernard in musical production The Rollicking Girl[35]
  • My Dear Luzon, music; words by Jesse A. Shipp.[36] Featured in Broadway musical In Dahomey.[4]
  • Play That Rag, music; words by Ed Rose. Recorded 1908 by Collins and Harlan.[37]
  • Sweetness, music; words by Henry Creamer.[38] Recorded 1910 by the Peerless Quartet.[39]
  • That Was Me, music; words by Ed Rose. Recorded 1909 by Bob Roberts.[40]

References
  1. The ASCAP Biographical Dictionary of Composers, Authors and Publishers. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. 1952. p. 300.
  2. "Lemonier, Tom 1870-1945 [WorldCat Identities]".
  3. "Lemonier, Tom - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu.
  4. Riis, Thomas Laurence, ed. (1996). The Music and Scripts of In Dahomey. American Musicological Society. p. vi. ISBN 9780895793423.
  5. "Tom Lemonier – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
  6. Price, Emmett George; Maxille, Horace (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Music. ABC-CLIO. p. 101. ISBN 9780313342004.
  7. Walton, Lester A. (February 4, 1909). "Music and the Stage" (PDF). The New York Age. p. 6. Also as announced in advertisement on same page.
  8. Walton, Lester A. (October 5, 1911). "Music and the Stage". The New York Age. p. 6 – via newspapers.com.
  9. "Tom Lemonier". Playbill.
  10. "Little Miss Brown". The Modesto Bee. Modesto, California. March 29, 1913. p. 3 – via newspapers.com.
  11. "Lincoln jubilee album : 50th anniversary of our emancipation, held in Chicago August 22d to September 16th, 1915". Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  12. "Tom Lemonier | Levy Music Collection". levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu.
  13. Abbott, Lynn; Seroff, Doug (18 September 2009). Out of Sight: The Rise of African American Popular Music, 1889-1895. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781604730395.
  14. "Flashes Out of the Air". The Post-Crescent. Appleton, Wisconsin. October 12, 1923. p. 7 – via newspapers.com.
  15. "Tom Lemonier Talks of "Lulu Belle" and Jumps". The Pittsburgh Courier. January 30, 1926. p. 9 – via newspapers.com.
  16. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix B-11904. Adopted child / Bob Roberts," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/1000003869/B-11904-Adopted_child.
  17. Dear old moonlight. OCLC 1135064473. Retrieved September 23, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  18. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix [Pre-matrix B-]996. Good afternoon, Mr. Jenkins / George Walker," accessed September 23, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000000452/Pre-matrix_B-996-Good_afternoon_Mr._Jenkins.
  19. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix B-6468. Honey Lou / Collins and Harlan," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200007416/B-6468-Honey_Lou.
  20. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. p. 93. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  21. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix A-1079. I wonder what makes it snow / Billy Murray," accessed September 23, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200001915/A-1079-I_wonder_what_makes_it_snow.
  22. Honey Lou. OCLC 45091989. Retrieved September 23, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  23. I'll be your dewdrop Rosey. OCLC 498100124. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  24. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix A-893. I'm just barely livin', dat's all / Bob Roberts," accessed September 23, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200001596/A-893-Im_just_barely_livin_dats_all.
  25. In My Old Home (In Dixie Land). OCLC 259723007. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  26. Is everybody happy?. OCLC 498697021. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  27. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Columbia matrix 3332. Is everybody happy? / Arthur Collins," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000138889/3332-Is_everybody_happy.
  28. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix [Pre-matrix A-]995. Junie / George Walker," accessed September 23, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/100001004/Pre-matrix_A-995-Junie.
  29. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Columbia matrix 19409. Just one word of consolation / Will Oakland," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000020315/19409-Just_one_word_of_consolation.
  30. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Brunswick matrix E7260. Just one word of consolation / Scrappy Lambert," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000226282/E7260-Just_one_word_of_consolation.
  31. Just one word of consolation. OCLC 134991950. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  32. Lovie Dear. OCLC 68194716. Retrieved September 23, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  33. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix B-885. Mary Ellen / Billy Murray," accessed September 23, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200001583/B-885-Mary_Ellen.
  34. Miss Hannah from Savannah. OCLC 68194700. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  35. My Cabin Door. OCLC 498100294. Retrieved September 23, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  36. "My dear Luzon". Library of Congress.
  37. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Victor matrix B-6467. Play that rag / Collins and Harlan," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/200007415/B-6467-Play_that_rag.
  38. Lemonier, Tom; Creamer, Henry S. (August 7, 1910). Sweetness. Gotham Attucks Music Co. – via digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu.
  39. Sweetness. OCLC 42017672. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via WorldCat.
  40. Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Columbia matrix 4003. That was me / Bob Roberts," accessed September 30, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000139560/4003-That_was_me.
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