Gus Viseur
b. May 15, 1915, Lessines, Belgium, d. August 25, 1974, Paris, France.
né: Gustave-Joseph Viseur
Here's a picture of Gus Viseur, who was first taught to play the musette, - a "button-box" accordion by his father, and who later studied at a school in the Suresnes district of Paris. (The musette name itself refers to a small bagpipe-like instrument that was played in the center of France, especially in Auvergne --"musette" being the French name for a small bag). He began his career playing in the streets of Paris, where he created the accordion-jazz style that is today known as "manouche", - a sort of 'Swing Waltz". Soon, he was playing in cabarets and nightclubs including the 'Bal Pouyet', 'Canari', and the 'Petit-Jardin', where many other "manouche" accordionists would play. Circa 1933, he met another accordionist, Charles Bazin,, who shared his tastes for improvisation and "le Jazz-hot", and the two men often appeared together in various local Paris venues. Viseur went on to play with well known French orchestras of the day including the Médard Ferrero, Ramon Mendizabal, and the Louis Ferrari bands.

In 1937, he recorded for the first time. Among the songs he later recorded were the Swing hits "Tiger Rag", "I've Got Rhythm", and "St. Louis Blues". He would go on to perform and record with the legendary "Quintet of the Hot Club of France", and subsequently with many other Jazz stars. He ended up playing in the band backing Edith Piaf, -"the little sparrow", Today, many consider him to be the first Jazz accodionist, and musicians compete for the renowned French music award "Prix Gus Viseur".

Along the way, he composed many songs such as:
"Le Bal du Petit Jardin"
"Jeannette"
"Swing Valse"
"Flambé Montalbanaise"
"46ème Avenue"
"5 Juin"
"El Victor"
"Lorsque Django Jouait" .

    Ralph Erwin Vogl
b. October 31, 1896, Bielitz (Silesia) Germany. d. May 15, 1943, France (in a prisoner of war camp)
NOTE: Vogl used the pseudonym of 'Harry Wright' while working in the United States of America.
Ralph Erwin Vogl is perhaps best recalled today as one of the lyricists who worked on a tune called "I Kiss Your Hand Madame", composed by Samuel M. Lewis, Fritz Rotter, Ralph Erwin Vogl, and Joseph Young. The tune dates back to ca. 1912, and is still well known today. This writer is unsure, but believes that original composers were Fritz Rotter (music), and Ralph Vogl (lyric), with the American adaptation by Sam M. Lewis (lyric) and Joe Young (lyric).

Here's a 'RealAudio" file of just one of the many versions that was originally released in Europe; this one in 1928, on the HMV label, as "Fantasie Über: Ich Küsser Ihre Hand, Madame", -the original title. and played here by the great Jack Hylton orchestra with the (English) vocal by Sam Browne. Interestingly, the song, was also translated into Spanish (among many other languages) by Luis Rebistein under the title "Yo Beso Vuestra Mano Senora",

Vogl was of Jewish extraction, and one can only hope the demise of this fine lyricist in a German prisoner of war camp was merciful. was recorded (in Europe) by the great Argentine singer Carlos Gardel.

Among the other tunes on which Vogl is known to have worked, are:
  "So Ein Madel Vergisst Du Man Nicht" (One Can't Forget Such a Girl),
  "Vier Worte Mocht Dir Nur Sagen" (There are Four Words I Want to Say to You),
  "Wo Hast Du Nur Die Shonen Blauen Augen Her" (Where Did You Get Those Beautiful Blue Eyes).

    Harry Von Tilzer
b. July 8, 1872, Detroit, MI, USA, d. Jan. 10. 1946, New York, N.Y. USA.
né: Harry Gummbinsky (The family later shortened the name to "Gumm".)
(Read about Harry's younger brother Albert Von Tilzer, here.) Harry, one of six children, was to find a career in music as did his younger brother Albert. (Apparently, two of the children, a boy and an girl, perished in childhood.) When Harry was still a child, his family moved to Indianapolis, IN, where he father acquired a shoe store. A theatrical company gave performances in the loft above the store, and that's where Harry learned to love show business.

His career really started in 1886 when, at age 14, he ran away from home and joined the Cole Brothers Circus. By 1887, he was playing piano, composing songs, and acting in a traveling repertory company. He changed his name at that time. His mother's maiden name was Tilzer, and he 'gussied' it up by adding the 'Von'. Thereafter he would be called Harry Von Tilzer, and later his younger brother would adopt the name also, Albert Von Tilzer.

Harry met Lottie Gilson when the burlesque troupe with which he was working reached Chicago. The popular vaudevillian took an interest, and induced him to go to New York. In 1892, Harry, working as a groom on a trainload of horses, arrived in New York, with just $1.65 in his pocket. He rented a room near the Brooklyn Bridge and became a $15.00 per week saloon pianist. He left New York briefly to work in a traveling medicine show, but returned to again work in saloons and later as a vaudevillian in a 'Dutch' act with George Sidney.

At this time, Harry was writing songs, literally hundreds of songs that were never published. He would sell them outright to other entertainers for $2.00 each. Even Tony Pastor sang a few of his songs in his theater. But the tide was about to turn for Harry.

One of his songs was published, "My Old New Hampshire Home", lyric by Andrew B. Sterling. William C. Dunn, owner of a small print shop, purchased it outright for $15.00, and issued it in 1898. It was a hit that sold more than 2 million copies.

In 1899, three more of Von Tilzer's songs were published:
  "I'd Leave My Happy Home for You", lyric by Will A. Heelan
  "I Wonder If She's Waiting", lyric by Andrew B. Sterling
  "Where The Sweet Magnolias Grow"

The success of "My Old New Hampshire Home" induced Maurice Shapiro of Shapiro-Bernstein Music Publishers to make Von Tilzer a partner, and the firm was re-named 'Shapiro, Bernstein and Von Tilzer'. Harry then wrote his next hit in 1900.

1900 "A Bird In A Gilded Cage", lyric Arthur A. Lamb. An interesting sidenote. When Lamb first showed the lyric to Harry, Harry insisted that he would not write the music unless Lamb made it clear that girl was the rich man's wife; not his mistress.

1900 "When Harvest Days are Over", lyric by Howard Graham
1901 "Down Where The Cotton Blossoms Grow", lyric by Sterling

In 1902, Von Tilzer quit the partnership and formed his own firm 'Harry Von Tilzer Music Company'. He wrote many hit songs that year, among which are:

1902 "Down Where the Wurzburger Flows". The song was dropped from a Broadway show, but was picked up by Nora Bayes for her vaudeville act. It was so successful that she was often called 'The Wurzburger Girl'.

"The Mansion of Aching Hearts", lyric by Arthur J. Lamb. (As a boy busker, Irving Berlin often sang this song on the Bowery. )

"On a Sunday Afternoon", lyric by Sterling. While lying on the beach at Coney Island, the line 'they work hard on Monday, but one day that's a fun day' entered his mind. He brought the line to Sterling who developed the verses.
  "Down on the Farm", lyric by Raymond A. Browne
  "Jennie Lee", lyric by Lamb
  "When Katie and I Were Comin' Thru the Rye", lyric Sterling
  "Please Go 'Way and Let Me Sleep", lyric by composer
  "Pardon Me, My Dear Alphonse", lyric by Vincent Bryan
  "In the Sweet Bye and Bye", lyric by Vincent Bryan.

1903 Von Tilzer wrote some songs for Broadway Show, 'The Fisher Maiden', starring Al Shean and Edna Bronson. It flopped.

1905 "Wait 'Til The Sun Shines Nellie", lyric by Sterling. A huge hit that was first sung by Winona Winter, an accomplished vaudeville performer (b. 1888, daughter of another performer & composer, Banks Winter, who had composed the then very popular song "White Wings".)

1910 Von Tilzer wrote some song for the Broadway show 'The Kissing Girl'. The show was not successful.

Among the other sentimental ballads that Von Tilzer wrote between 1905-1920:
  "Where The Morning Glories Twine Around the Door", lyric Sterling.
  "Don't Take Me Home", lyric by Vincent Bryan
  "I Want a Girl, Just Like the girl That Married Dear Old Dad", lyric by William Dillon.
  "And the Green Grass Grew All Around", Lyric by William Jerome
  "In the Evening by the Moonlight, Dear Louise", lyric by Sterling
  "Last Night Was the End of the World", lyric by Sterling
  "All Alone", lyric by Dillon
  "On the Old Fall River Line", lyric by Jerome and Sterling
  "A Little Bunch of Shamrocks", lyuric by Jerome and Sterling
  "Goodbye, Boys", lyric by Sterling and Dillon
  "You'll Always be the Same Sweet Girl", lyric by Sterling
  "Close to My Heart", lyric by Sterling
  "That Old Irish Mother of MIne", lyric by Sterling
  "I Lost the Best Pal That I Had", lyric by Dick Thomas.

He wrote in styles other than the sentimental ballad, too. Songs like:
Two Negro type songs.
  "Alexander, Don't You Love YOur Baby No More?", lyric Sterling
  "What You Goin' to Do When The Rent Comes 'Round?", lyric Sterling.
And in still other styles.
  "I Love, I Love, I Love My Wife, But Oh You Kid", lyric Jimmy Lucas
  "Take Me Back to New York Town", lyric by Sterling
  "The Cubanola Glide", lyric by Vincent Bryan (a Hit for Sophie Tucker)
  "Under the Yum Yum Tree", lyric by Sterling
  "All Aboard the Blanket Bay", lyric by Sterling
  "They Always Pick on Me", lyric by Stanley Murphy

There is an interesting historical note connected with Harry Von Tilzer. In the Early 1900's, Von Tilzer kept an upright piano in his publishing firm. Harry kept pieces of paper stuffed between the strings of the piano's harp. It gave the piano a tinny sort of sound to which Von Tilzer was partial. One day, the lyricist and newspaper journalist Monroe Rosenfeld was in Harry's office and heard him playing the tinny sounding piano. The sound suggested a title for a piece he was writing, - Tin Pan Alley.

Harry's last years were spent in retirement, while living in the Hotel Woodward, in New York City. He died in 1946, at age 74.