With Benny Davis as his lyricist, Coots wrote scores for three Cotton Club Revues, in 1936, 1938, and 1939. In 1952, Coots wrote a series of Children's songs, which were recorded by Rosemary Clooney.

Coots died at age 87, survived by bis wife Marjorie Jenning Coots, two daughters, Patricia Coots Chester and Gloria Coots Baldwin, as well as by a son, John Frederick Coots, Jr. Over his long career, J. Fred Coots had more than 700 of his songs published. Coots is a Songwriters' Hall of Fame member.

Sam Coslow
b. Dec. 27, 1902, New York, NY, d. April 2, 1982, New York, NY
Overview
This composer was writing hit songs for 4 decades, - from the 1920's to the 1950's.
Sam was still a teenager when his song "Grieving for You" became a success in 1920. He wrote many hits over the next 9 years and also formed the publishing firm of Spier and Coslow. In 1929, Paramount bought the firm along with the services of Coslow. He was to spend 10 years at Paramount. He then wrote some songs for MGM, including the "I'm in Love with the Honorable Mr. So and So."for the 1939 film Society Lawyer.

In 1940, he went into business with James Roosevelt, FDR's Son, manufacturing coin operated machines that showed sound films. He next produced several of his own films including 'Out of This World' and 'Copacabana'. He worked on productions for the English stage and screen during the mid-50's. He finally became devoted to publishing trade periodicals for the financial community.

Brief Chronology of his songs:
   1924 "Not Yet, Suzette", Coslow and J. Fred Coots.
   1927 "Hello Swanee, Hello", Addie Britt lyric.
   192? "Absolutely, Positively"
   1929 For film 'Thunderbolt', the song, "Daddy, Won't You Please Come Home"
   1930 For film 'Paramount on Parade', the song, "Sweepin' the Clouds Away"
   1930 For film, 'Honey', starred Nancy Carroll. "Sing You Sinners", Coslow and W. Frank Harling.
   1931 "Just One More Chance", Coslow and Johnston.
   1933 "Thanks", from film 'Too Much Harmony' (This big hit song was the 'sequel' to another big hit "Please (Lend your Little Ears to My Pleas)"
    1933 The film 'College Humor' had such songs as:
      "Down The Old Ox Road"
      "Learn To Croon", collaborated with Arthur Johnston; (Tune was a big Bing Crosby hit vocal. )

    1934 For film, 'Murder at the Vanities', "Cocktails For Two"
   1934 For Film 'Belle of the Nineties', starring Mae West. My Old Flame"
   1937 For film 'Turn Off the Moon', "Easy On The Eyes"
   1939 For film, 'Society Lawyer', "I'm In Love With The Honorable Mr. So and So"
   1947 For film, 'Copacabana', "Je Vous Aime"
   1956 For film, 'First Love, the title song, "First Love"

He is a member of the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.

Jimmie Cox
Currently no information available.
One of the little known Black composers of the 1920's.
1922 "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out", Bessie Smith's poignant recording of this song made it one of the 1920's standards.

Francis Craig
b. Sept. 10, 1900, Dickson, TN d. 1966, Sewanee, TN
This pianist and band leader is listed here primarily for his composition "Near You,"(lyric by Kermit Goelle). He and his orchestra, with vocalist Bob Lamm, recorded the song. It was a multimillion seller in 1947, remaining No. 1 on the charts for 17 weeks. While Craig's only other nationally famous recording was 1948's "I Beg Your Pardon" (No. 3 on the charts), he did compose others such as "Tennesee Tango"; "A Broken Heart Must Cry"; "Foolin'", and "Do Me A Favor".

Mrs. Jesse Crawford
Overview.
Helen, was the wife of the famed organist, Jesse Crawford. Jesse was the house organist at the Chicago Theater, in the mid-1920's. She often composed pieces for her husband to play. Jesse and Helen Crawford may have reached the pinnacle of their success when Jesse played the organ at New York City's Paramount Theater, in Times Square (there were two consoles). The Paramount Theater is no longer, but the "Crawford Special" 4/39 Wurlitzer Organ is alive and well in the Exhibition Hall, Century II Center, Witchita, Kansas.

1926 "Within the Prison of My Dreams", words and music by Helen Crawford. (Published by Forster Music Publisher, Inc. Chicago.)

Henry Creamer
This great black lyricist was often teamed with J. Turner Layton as a vaudeville team, as well as songwriters of 'Bluesy' melodies which they introduced in their own vaudeville act.

Among his songs are:
   1909 "That's A Plenty", co-written with vaudevillian Bert Williams
   1918 "After You've Gone" , with J. Turner Layton
   1921 "Dear Old Southland", with J. Turner Layton
   1922 "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans", with J. Turner Layton
   1926 "Alabama Stomp", with composer J.C.Johnson
   1926 "If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight", with Jimmy Johnson. A Ruth Etting vocal hit, and later the theme song for McKinney's Cotton Pickers.

Creamer and Layton contributed songs for Bert Williams' 1911 Ziegfeld Follies act. The team scored the 1922 show 'Miss Lizzie'. Creamer was one of the founders of the Black Entertainers group called 'Club Clef'.

Gretchen Cryer
b. October 17, 1935, Dunreith, IN
Writer, actress, lyricist.
Overview
Cryer is not always happy to be called a 'feminist' lyricist. She is the words half of Broadway's only dual female composer-lyricist team, Cryer and Ford. She is best known for her off-Broadway musical libretto and lyrics for the show 'I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On The Road'. This daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E.W. Kiger, Jr. (of Dunreith, IN) graduated from Spiceland High School and then DePauw University. Cryer, at age 18, met Nancy Ford when they were both attending DePauw University. Nancy was a music major, and Gretchen was also taking a few music courses while studying English as her major. Collaborating with Nancy Ford who wrote the music, Gretchen wrote the book and lyrics for a number of successful plays based on Gretchen's experiences growing up in Henry County, IN. Perhaps the most personal of her work is, "I'm Getting My Act Together And Taking It On The Road." And, among the other plays that Gretchen wrote with Ms. Ford are, "Now Is The Time For All Good Men," "The Last Sweet Days of Isaac" and "Shelter." While continuing her studies as a graduate student at Harvard University, Gretchen and Nancy Ford wrote a show 'For Reasons of Loyalty', that was produced by Boston Univ.

Cryer had been 'keeping company' with a student named David Cryer, and when he graduated, the two got married (in Indiana), after which David enrolled in Yale University's Berkeley Divinity School. Nancy Ford also married a man who was attending the Divinity School and so the two ladies went to live with their husbands in the Yale married students dormitory, and both got day jobs as secretarys. Cryer, from age 18, had performed as a chorus girl in summer stock musical shows, but never took any formal courses in playwriting. Gretchen's family had told her that she had two distant cousins, David Niven, and Cornelia Otis Skinner.

In 1967, the team mounted a musical 'Now Is the Time For All Good Men', on the New York Stage. It was produced by Cryer's husband and David Poland (no one else wanted the property). The show was about Cryer's Pacifist brother, and was panned by the critics.

In 1970, their off-Broadway show 'The Last Sweet Days of Isaac' was a big success. It won an Obie; Drama Desk; and Outer Circle Awards, and was hailed by the critics. Nancy Ford's music for the play has been described as 'Baroque Rock'.

In 1973, their first Broadway show, 'Shelter' had no great success despite some pleasant critical reviews. The show's main character was a computer that wrote commercials.

Gretchen was working as a chorus girl in Broadway musicals, helping to support the family. But, her feeling that she was not taking responsibility for her own life finally ended the marriage. In 1968, Cryer was divorced from husband David. David has given up the ministry for the theater. Her son Jon Cryer has appeared in many films and TV shows. Daughter Robin has appeared with her mother in Cabaret shows and youngest daughter Shelley works in theatre make-up.

Nancy and Gretchen had been continuing to write songs and singing them in cabarets. In 1978, her next show was 'I'm Getting My Act Together'; it contained much autobiographical material. Cryer sang and acted in her own play, with material relating to her own life. Despite being panned by the New York critics, the show eventually gained an audience, and producer Joe Papp moved it from the Public Theater to Circle On The Square Theater on Broadway, where it enjoyed a three year run.

When last heard of, Cryer was working on a show of Eleanor Roosevelt's life. It was to be mounted on a San Diego stage.

Manny Curtis
b: Nov. 15, 1911, New York, NY, USA, d:
né: Emanuel (Manny) Kurtz, Here's a photograph of Manny Curtis, who attended The Brooklyn Evening College for two and a half years, and later became a writer for the Vitaphon Studios. In time, he worked as staff writer for Mills Music, and for Santley-Joy. His chief collaborators were Al Hoffman, Walter Kent, and Vic Mizzy. (Mizzy and Curtis's biggest hit was : "My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time". The team also penned the Betty Hutton hit "Choo'n Gum".)

Among Curtis' other works are:
"Anema e core", Original music by Salve d'Esposito with Italian lyrics by Tito Manlio , 1954 English lyrics by Manny Curtis and Harry Akst
"Fooled", Music by Doris Tauber and lyrics by Manny Curtis, 1955
"Let It Be Me"
"Santa Lucia", Music by Salve d'Esposito with Italian lyrics by Tito Manlio , 1954 English lyrics by Manny Curtis and Harry Akst. This tune was first sung by Ferrucio Tagliavini in the Italian film of the same name. Eddie Fisher had a hit record with the English lyrics.
"One Day Is Like Another (Un Giorno Dopo l'Altro)", Music by Salve d'Esposito with Italian lyrics by Tito Manlio , 1954 English lyrics by Manny Curtis and Harry Akst. First sung by Ferrucio Tagliavini in the Italian film of the same name. Eddie Fisher had a hit record with the English lyrics.
The Story Of A Starry Night"
"I'm Going To Live Til I Die"
" In A Sentimental Mood"
"I Had A Little Talk With The Lord"

Aina Swan Cutler
b. March 19, 1914, Gardner, MA, USA, d. May 29, 2005, Appalachian Brian Estates, Boone, NC, USA. Age: 91
Writer/lyricist

The Finnish-born Aina Swan Cutler's parents, John and Edla Swan Juotsen, had emigrated to the USA at the turn of the 20th century. Of all the children of a family full of musical talent, Aina was the only one that did not become a professional musician. Instead, she made writing her creative outlet. Her brother, Einar Swan's, compositions include "When Your Lover Has Gone", which has been recorded by such artists asElla Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Art Tatum, and no less than 100 others.

Mrs. Cutler was instrumental in establishing libraries in several Boston area elementary schools. She was active in the Finnish-American community and for many years collaborated as a lyricist with Finnish musicians, providing original lyrics as well as translations of Finnish works. In 1995 she was awarded the Order of the White Rose by the government of Finland in recognition of her work on behalf of Finnish music.

Aina often worked with Heikki Sarmanto, a highly esteemed composer whose music has been recorded all over the world. His career began in the early 1960's, when he participated in an international Jazz recording contest in Minneapolis. He has composed more than a thousand songs and released some forty records. He has also given his name to a musicians' foundation founded in 1997 in Minneapolis.

Friends for almost thirty years, Heikki Sarmanto and Aina Swan Cutler have co-composed more than 200 songs. Cutler started by translating the finnish lyrics of Sarmanto's songs into English, resulting in three music books: "Autumn, and other songs", "Moment Musical", and "Moonlight in the Forest".

In 1980 the American singer Jeannine Otis recorded Sarmanto's "Magic Song", with Cutler debuting as a fully-fledged lyricist on her own. "Tears in the Night" is the first Sarmanto/Cutler collaboration with a Finnish singer.

In October 2002, Finnish vocalist Sari Ann Annika had a CD released, entitled "Tears in the Night", that featured songs composed by Heikki Sarmanto to lyrics by Aina Swan Cutler. The album is built around the "Tears in the Night" trilogy, with lyrics inspired by the sorrow following the death of Cutler's daughter. Some lyrics are also translated and arranged into english from the poems of Eino Leino and Aaro Hellaakoski.