And the night shall be filled with music.
             And the cares that infest the day
             Shall fold their tents and, like the Arabs,
             Silently steal away.
                   "Day Is Done" --Longfellow

IMPORTANT: Please do not request any information on any of the songs listed below. I am not in a position to reply. You must do your own research. This list is for reference purposes ONLY. AND, the song listing MAY change from time to time.

This is a TEXT file only. There are no 'links'. Read only mode. I welcome your comments on how to improve this page, or the addition of songs you feel are important to a period.

This is NOT meant to be a definitive database of songs. That would take a computer much larger than ours, and more time than we have available. Rather, the desire is to give some idea of the songs to which people were listening, during the listed epochs.

Every song listed here was a "big" hit. Some of the "hits" were so great, that many are still played today.

* = date is not definite.
Pre-1900 ( And the 12 Bar Blues Form )
========
Before the Civil War, There was music by Steven Foster and Louis Moreau Gottschalk

I am indebted to Mr Leonard Feather's book, The Encyclopedia of Jazz, for the following interesting musical history note:

1840 "Frankie and Johnny (Were Sweethearts)"
       * one historian places it as far back as 1840
       * It was known to be sung at siege of Vicksburg 1863
       * And was Well known in St.Louis 1880's
       * It's not known if song is of white or black origin.

What's important is that this song is the classic 12 bar blues structure, with the 1-4-5-1 chordal pattern. This chordal pattern will later be picked up and extensively used by 'Black' musicians. This harmonic formula was common among both white and black races a century ago. But, the 12 bar structure is much older. It was prevalent in both English and French Balladry of the 13th cent. ('Click' here to see the "Jazz Overview" -"Blues", link for some more information.)

1850 "Turkey in the Straw"
1850 "Arkansas Traveler"
1850 "Dolly Day", (music: Stephen Foster)
1854 "Few Days", (music:Jenny Lind)
1860 "Old Black Joe", (music: S. Foster)
1861 "Band Polka", (music: Carl Spohr)
1863 "The Black Brigade", (music: Dan Emmett)
1865 "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh", (music: Will S. Hays)
1867 "Happy Uncle Joe", (music: J. G. Hunting)

The music is a mix of Rags, Brass Band, Salon, Vaudeville and Show tunes. Cowboy Laments on the Cattle Drives; Traveling Minstrel Shows; Irish Clog Dance music; Field 'hollers' of black farm hands; Old English Ballads, adapted to American needs; Spirituals. All across America, there is a grand mix of music playing.

1872 "Moonlight on the Potomac", (music: J. P. Sousa)
1873 "The German Polka", (music: Gus Williams)
1876 "Branigan's Band", (Music: J. Wellman)
1877 "Roll Out! Heave Dat Cotton", (music: Will Hays)

Some Songs by James A. Bland (A Negro, who lived in Flushing, New York City) are:
1878 "Carry Me Back To Old Virginny"
1879 "Oh, Dem Golden Slippers"
1880 "In The Evening, By The Moonlight"

And, sometime along about the late 1880's - '90's, ragtime is heard.
1881 "The Colored Band", (music: Lou Dockstader)
1881 "The Colored Hop", (music: James A. Bland)
1883 Sambo's Double Shuffle", (music: P. percy

Now, Rags are extremely popular, while in the South and Southwest, A new type of music is being born..Dixieland, sometimes called Jazz. The Banjo, (an American Invention) is a very popular instrument.

Usually, the better 'reader' in a band would work up a score from a piece of sheet music. Many times, the bands used 'head' arrangements. Dance band arrangements are still many years in the future.

1891 Two of the great successes of 1891 were
"The Pardon came Too Late" (Paul Dresser)
"The Picture That's Turned To The Wall" (Charles Graham)
"Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-Dee-Ay" (Henry Sayers-1891) Sayers says that the
      tune was originally sung by a great Black singer -Mama Lou - in one
      of St. Louis'..cough, hack, gag..cultural institutions, Babe Connor's
      famous brothel.
Others, around this time frame, are:
1992 "After The Ball" (Charles K. Harris)
"Glow-worm" (Paul Lincke -late 90's) ex show: Lew Field's "Girl Behind the
      Counter" Later Anna Pavlova used it in her "Empire Gavotte" dance
"She's Only A Bird In A Gilded Cage".
"Hot Times (In the Old Town Tonight)". Another one of the fine tunes
       that originated in Babe Connor's brothel (St.Louis). It originally
       told of a negro who had lost his lady love. Later it became a marching
       song (with somewhat different lyrics) in the Spanish-American War, and
       also, Teddy Roosevelt made it the official song for his Rough Riders.

1894 "You've Been a Good Old Wagon, But You've Done Broke Down" (Ben Harney)
1894 "Yale Society Two-Step", (music: C. VanBaar)
1894 "The Sidewalks of New York" (Lawlor & Blake)
1895 "The Band Played On" (Charles B. Ward & John F. Palmer)
1896 "A Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight" (Joe Hayden & Theodore Mertz)
1896 "Hot Tamale Alley", (music: George M. Cohen)
1896 "Sambo at the Cake Walk", (music: Alfred Marks)
1896 "Mister Johnson, Turn Me Loose" (Ben Harney)
1896 "Warmest Baby in the Bunch" (George M. Cohan - a "coon" song)

1896 "Warmest Baby in the Bunch", (music: George M. cohan)
1896 "Remus Takes the Cake", (music: J. H. Ellis)
1897 "Mississippi Rag", William H. Krell
1897 "Coontown Capers" (a Cake Walk with music by Ted Morse)
1897 "At a Georgia Campmeeting (another Cake Walk by Kerry Mills)
1897 "Walkin' For Dat Cake", (music: Braham)
1897 "The Shuffling Coon", (music: J. R. Todd)
1897 "Syncopated Sandy", (music: Wayburn/Whiting)
1897 "Ye Boston Tea Party", (music: Arthur Pryor)
1898 "Swipsy", Scott Joplin music.
1898 "Levee Revels", (music: Wm. O'Hare)
1899 "The Cake Walk in the Sky", (music: Ben Harney)
1899 "Darktown is Out Tonight", (music: Will Marion Cook)
1899 "Hello! Ma Baby" (Jos. E. Howard & Ida Emerson -& Maybe Maxwell Marcuse)
       (It was a Cheery little song about a new invention - the telephone
       We have to wait a few more years for Radio to be Invented.)

1899 "Belle of the Creoles"; "Banjo Rag Time"
1899 "Hearts & Flowers" (Theodore Moses Tobani)
1899 "Hello! Ma Baby",(James Howard; Ida Emerson - Andrew Sterling claimed he was the composer)
1899 "Daphne Schottische", Laurendeau
1899 "Doc Brown's Cakewalk", Johnson, Chas.
1899 "Dusky Dudes", (Cake Walk) Schwartz, J.
1899 "Ethiopian Mardi Gras" (Cake Walk 2-Step with music by M. Levi).
1899 "Happy Mose", (stoill another Cake Walk with music by P. Russell)

1900 to 1920's
==============
1901 Edison invents the "Cylinder" record.
1909 Edison, Columbia and Victor are recording Popular Song. (Please See 1920 below, for continuation of history thread.)

1900 "Creole Belles", (a 2-Step with music by J. Lampe)

1900 "The Voodoo Man"; "Blackville Strutters Ball" (Bert Williams/Geo.Walker)
1900 "Only A Bird in a Gilded Cage" (Harry Von Tilzer)

1901 "The Cakewalk" is a hugely successful dance sensation.

1901 "Chocolate Creams Cake Walk"; "Hunky Dory Cake Walk"

1902 "Cubanola", music by Blanke (Irving Berlin also had "Cubanola Glide")

1902 Other Rag Time Dances are popular
1902 "Under the Bamboo Tree" (Bob Cole, Black performer and writer)
1902 "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home". (Hughie Cannon)
1902 "In the Good Old Summertime" (Ren Shields & George Evans)

1903 "St. Louis Rag" (Turpin);
1903 "Ida (Sweet As Apple Cider)" (Eddie Munson)
1903 "Coonville Cullud Band", (music by: Davis and Meskin
1903 "I Can Beat You Doing What You're Doing Me", Music: Brown. (A big hit for
         Sophie Tucker "Last of the Red Hot Mamas' )

1904 "Red Devil Rag";
"The St. Louis Tickle"
"Give My Regards To Broadway" (George M. Cohan)

1905 "My Gal Sal"
1905 "The Whistler and His Dog", music: Arthur Pryor
1906 "Dill Pickles Rag";
"Chinatown, My Chinatown"
1906 "The Countess of Alagazam", music: Bob Cole
1907 "Kansas City Rag"
1907 "Shine Little Glow Worm" (Paul Lincke & Lilla Cayley Robinson)
1907 "Marie From Sunny Italy" (Berlin's 1st song -Lyrics only.)
1908 "Memphis Rag";
1908 "Shine on Harvest Moon" (Nora Bayes)
1908 "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" (Albert Von Tilzer)
1909 ""By The Light of the Silvery Moon" (Gus Edwards & Edward Madden)
1909"Sensation Rag"
1909 "Tabasco" - Rag Time Waltz;
"Sapho Rag";
"Put on you Old Gray Bonnet"
"Memphis Blues", by W.C. Handy.
"Some of These Days" (composer: Shelton Brooks-a vaudevillian) Sophie Tucker's Theme - a big hit song.

1910-1920 "The period in which America went Dance Mad." -"A History of Popular Music" - Sigmund Spaeth
Vernon & Irene Castle led the way with their dances, which included:
     The Fox Trot
     The Castle Walk
     The Maxixe
     The One Step
     The Two Step
Vernon was killed in the World War. Basically, from this point on, bands are "dance bands".

1910 "Steamboat Bill"
1910 "Play That Barber Shop Chord" (Lewis F. Muir) Later sung by J. Garland
1910 "Down by the Old Mill Stream" (Tell Taylor)
1910 "Come, Josephine, In My Flying Machine" (Fred Fisher & Alfred Bryan)
1910 "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" (Beth Slater Whitson & Leo Friedman)
1911 "Alexander's Ragtime Band" (Irving Berlin)
1911 "Some of These Days" (Shelton Brooks)
1911 "Alexander's Ragtime Band" (Berlin -A musical landmark of 1911)
1911 "Everybody's Doing It" (Berlin)
1911 "My Melancholy Baby" (Ernest M. Burnett)
1911 "Waiting For The Robert E. Lee" (Lewis F. Muir)

1912 "Memphis Blues" (Handy);
Scott Joplin's "New Rag";
"Dallas Blues"
* "Look For The Silver Lining" (Kern)
* "All The Things You Are" (Kern)

191? "The Argentine", Rubens/Wimperis
1912 "Maurice Tango", music by: Heim

1913
"Junk Man Rag" (Luckey Roberts);
"Peg O' My Heart" (Fred Fisher & Alfred Bryan);
"You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It)" (J. McCarthy - Monaco)
"Ballin' the Jack" (Chris Smith)
"Play A Simple Melody" (Irving Berlin) ex show: 'Watch Your Step'. it's a song within a song. See 1950 "You're Just In Love"

"Amapa Maxixa", music: J. Storoni

1914
"St.Louis Blues" (W.C.Handy)
       Handy has said that it was inspired on hearing the lament of a
       woman wandering down the streets of St.Louis, sorrowing for a
       faithless husband, "My Man has a heart like a stone cast in the
       sea, and it's gone so far, I can't reach it."
"Yellow dog Blues" (W.C.Handy)
"They Didn't Believe Me" (Jerome Kern); ex show The Girl From Utah

"Castle House Rag", Written by James P. Europe dancers Vernon and Irene Castle..
"Mexi-Tango", music: W. Beardsley

1915
"Lassus Trombone" (a March/2-Step with music by Henry Fillmore)
"Jelly Roll Blues"; (J.R.Morton - who else?)
"I Ain't Got Nobody" (Spencer Williams)
"I Love A Piano" (Irving Berlin) ex show Stop Look and Listen
"The Girl On The Magazine Cover". (Irv. Berlin) same show

1916
"Roses of Picardy";
"The Down Home Rag" (W.C.Sweatman) (This song may have been a common
      riff among ragtime players before Wilbur Sweatman Copyrighted it in 1916)
"Pretty Baby" (Jackson & Van Alstyne)
"Camel Walk"
"Poor Butterfly" (Raymond Hubbell melody with John Golden Lyric)
"My Castle In The Air" (Kern-Wodehouse) ex show Miss Springtime.

1916 First Gershwin tune published: "When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em; When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em."

1917
"Indiana";
"Darktown Strutters Ball" (Shelton Brooks);
"Indianola"; S. R. Henry and D. Onivas music. Frank H. Warren lyric. and
       the composition was Publ: Jos. W. Stern. New York, NY
"Tiger Rag";
"Livery Stable Blues";
"At The Jazz Band Ball";
"Dixie Jass Band One Step" (Original Dixieland)
"For Me and My Gal" (George Meyer)
"Rose Room" (Art Hickman, Band leader and Ex Tap Dancer, composer)

1918
"Frog-i-more Rag" (Morton);
"K-K-K-Katy" (Geoffrey O'Hara)
"Hindustan";
"Ja Da" (Bob Carleton);
"Smiles"
"After You've Gone" (Creamer & Layton); (Mildred Bailey always sang it.)
"Oh How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning" (Berlin) Yip Yip Yaphank show
"'Till We Meet Again (Smile Awhile)" (Whiting - Eagan, lyric)

1919
"Dardanella";
"Royal Garden Blues";
"Swanee" (George Gershwin)
"Baby, Won't You Please Come Home" (Chas. Warfield & Clar. Williams)
"A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody" (Berlin) ex Show Ziegfeld Follies
"Royal Garden Blues"
"Mandy"
"Swanee" (Gershwin) ex Show -Capitol (Theatre) Revue
"Any Old Place With You" (Rodgers(16yrs old) & Hart)
* "How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down On THe Farm?" (Walter Donaldson)

1920 Okeh Records record Mamie Smith singing "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down",
      and "That Thing Called Love".

1920
"Royal Garden Blues", Spencer and Clarence Williams tune. (They're
      not related.) (see 1921 for continuation of history thread)
"Avalon"; "Margie"; "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise"; "Whispering"
"(I'll See You In) C-U-B-A" (Irving Berlin)
"Tell Me Little Gypsy" (Berlin) ex Ziegfeld Follies.
"Poor Little Ritz Girl" (Rodgers & Hart)
"The Japanese Sandman" (Richard Whiting) Catch Paul Whiteman's ver.
"Whispering" (J. Schonberger; Richard Coburn and Vincent Rose)
"Look For The Silver Lining" (Kern) ex show Sally
" Purple Rose of Cairo", music: Armand. J. Piron

With the advent of the '20's a new era is dawning. More complex melodies using more sophistication in the Harmonies. A revolution in dance band arrangements is taking place. The song 'form' is changing and Theatre songs are greatly superior to the older theatrical forms. Dixieland/Jazz is still a very popular form of music, widely played throughout America. Chicago is becoming the home of the "Dance Band". Musicians from St. Louis, Detroit and Kansas City come to Chicago to record; play hotel and Radio dates
1920 "I'm a Jazz Vampire", music: Swanstrom
1920 "I'm Looking all Around for a Vampire", music: Henry Creamer

1921
"New York Glide", music: Delaney
"Song of India", music: Ferde Grofe

The first Black Recording company formed, Pace Recording Comapny. Later to be called "Black Swan Phonograph Company. Shortly after, The term "Race Records" came into use to denote music of interest to Black listeners. See 1922 for continuation of history thread.

"Loveless Love";
"The Sheik";
"Wabash Blues";
"Wang Wang Blues";
"I'm Just Wild About Harry" (E.Blake)
"I'm Nobody's Baby" (David;Ager;Santly);
"April Showers" (Louis Silvers) Al Jolson sang it ex show Bombo
"I'll See You in My Dreams"
"There'll Be Some Changes Made" (W. Benton Overstreet & W. Higgins)
"Say It With Music" (Irving Berlin) from 1st Music Box Revue show
"Drifting Along With The Tide" (Gershwin) Geo.White Scandals of '21
"I'm Just Wild About Harry" (Eubie Blake) ex show Shuffle Along
"I'm Nobody's Baby" (Benny David, Milton Ager, Lester Santly)

1922 Very first radios appear. Just a crystal set with 'cat's whiskers' and earphones (for just one person to listen). (See 1925 for continuation of history thread)

1922
"Chicago" (Fred Fisher);
"China Boy";
"I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" (Gershwin) ex G.White Scandals
"Way Down Younder in New Orleans" (Creamer/Layton)
"My Honey's Lovin' Arms" (Jos. Meyer)
"Runnin' Wild" (A.H.Gibbs);
"Chicago" (Fred Fisher)
"Stumbling" (Zez Comfrey)
"Lady Of The Evening" (Berlin) ex Music Box Revue of 1922
"My Buddy" (Walter Donaldson)
"Carolina In The Morning"
"On The Alamo" (Isham Jones)
"A Kiss in the Dark", music : Victor Herbert
"Limehouse Blues", music: Braham

1923
"The Pearls" (J.R. Morton music);
"Dipper Mouth Blues" (later called "Sugar Foot Stomp" - Oliver)
"I Cried For You" (Freed, Arnheim, Lyman)
"Charleston" (Cecil MAck & James P. Johnson)
"Mama Loves Papa" (Friend/Baer)
"Charley My Boy";
"California (Here I Come)"
"Yes We Have No bananas" (Frank Silver & Irving Cohn)
"Swinging Down The Lane" (Isham Jones)

1924
"All Alone" (Irving Berlin)
"Tea For Two" (V. Youmans aand Yip Harburg lyric);
"The Man I Love";
"Everybody Loves My Baby" (Spencer Williams);
"King Porter Stomp";
"Nobody's Sweethaeart";
"Shine";
"South"
"Lazy" (Irving Berlin)
"Stack O' Lee Blues", Ray Lopez and Lew Colwell tune.
"Somebody Loves Me" (Gershwin) ex Geo. White's Scandals of '24
"Lady, Be Good" (Gershwin) ex show: Lady Be Good
"Fascinating Rhythm" (Gershwin) ex show: Lady Be Good
"The Man I Love" (Gershwin) ex: Lady Be Good. A hit for Helen Morgan in 1927/8
"Everybody Loves My Baby" (Palmer/Williams);
"Dinah" (Harry Akst)
"I'll See You In My Dreams" (Isham Jones)
"Spain", (Isham Jones-Gus Kahn, lyric)
"It Had To Be You" (Isham Jones-Gus Kahn, lyric)
"The One I Love (Belongs To Somebody Else)" (Isham Jones-Gus Kahn)
"Mandy, Make Up Your Mind" (Clarke, Turk, Meyer, Johnson)
"Who" (Berlin) ex show: Music Box Revue (Note: No ?) Kern also has a "Who?" See 1926 listing.

1925 First Electrical Recording started by Columbia and Victor. Microphones are used. Bands no longer have to crowd around a 'recording horn'. (see 1926 for continuation of historical thread

1925
"Carolina Shout" (JP Johnson); "Sometimes I'm Happy";
"Peaceful Valley" (Willard Robison)
"Sweet Georgia Brown" (Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard & Kenneth Casey)
"Always" (Irv. Berlin)
"Manhattan" (Rodgers & Hart) ex Garrick Gaieties show
"Here In My Arms" (Rodgers & Hart) ex show: Dearest Enemy. Get Lee Wiley's version
"Sometimes I'm Happy" (Youmans- Caesar) ex show: A Night Out also in 1927 show Hit The Deck
"Tea For Two" (Youmans-Caesar) ex show: No No Nanette
"Sleepy Time Gal" (R. Whiting-Ange Lorenzo)
"Sweet Child" (Whiting)
"All I Want is Just One Girl" (Whiting)

1926
Golden Era of Jazz Recording begins:
NBC establishes the first Coast-to-Coast Radio Network. (see 1927 for continuation of history thread.)

1926
"Muskrat Ramble";
"Baby Face", (Bennie Davis & Harry Akst)
"Birth of the Blues";
"East St. Louis Toodle-oo";
"Snag It".
"If I Could Be With You" (Henry Creamer & James P. Johnson)
"Do-Do-Do" (Gershwin) ex show: "Oh Kay!"
"Someone To Watch Over Me" (Gershwin) ex Oh Kay!
"The Blue Room" (Rodgers & Hart) ex show: "THe Girl Friend
"Mountain Greenery" ex 2nd Garrrick Gaieties show
"Who?" (Kern) ex show "Sunny" (Note: Berlin also has a "Who" see 1924 listing.
"I Know That You Know" (Youmans) ex show: Oh Please
"I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plans" (A Schwartz) ex show: The Grand Street Follies

1927 The First Talking Picture, "The Jazz Singer" with Al Jolson. See 1947 for continuation of history thread.

1927
"Blue Skies";
"Struttin' With Some Barbecue";
"Old Man River";
"Black and Tan Fantasy"
"I'm Comming Virginia" (Donald Heywood)
"Shaking The Blues Away" (Berlin) ex Ziegfeld Follies of 1927
"Blue Skies" (Irving Berlin) ex show: Betsy
"The Song Is Ended" (Irving Berlin)
"Funny Face" (Gershwin) ex show: Funny Face
"S'wonderful" " "
"He Loves and She Loves" (Gershwin) ex show: Funny Face
"My Heart Stood Still" (Rodgers & Hart) ex show: A Connecticut Yankee
"Thou Swell" " "
"My Blue Heaven" (W. Donaldson)
"At Sundown" "

1928
"Basin Street Blues";
"Tight Like That";
"How Long Blues" (Leroy Carr);
"West End Blues"
"Sweet Lorraine" (Cliff Burwell);
"Sweet Sue - Just You" (Victor Young)
"Manhattan Serenade" (Louis Alter)
"Crazy Rhythm" (Jos. Meyer & Roger Wolfe Kahn & Irving Caesar)
"She's Funny That Way" ( Neil Moret, music & R. Whiting, lyrics)
"How About Me" (Irv. Berlin)
"How Long Has This Been Going On". (Gershwin) ex show: "Rosalie"
"(I've Got A) Feeling I'm Falling" (Gershwin) ex "Treasure Girl"
"I Can't Give You Anything But Love", Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh tune.
"You Took Advantage of Me" (Rodgers & Hart) ex show: Present Arms
"Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)" (Cole Porter) ex show: Paris
"You Do Something To Me" (Porter) ex Show: Fifty Million Frenchmen.
"Love Me Or Leave Me" (W. Donaldson)
"I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)" (Fred Ahlert)
"She's Funny That Way" ( ?, Whiting Lyric)

1929
"Honeysuckle Rose" (Waller);
"Black & Blue" (Waller);
"Rent Party Blues";
"Wall Street Wail" (Ellington);
"Stardust" (Carmichael)
"My Kinda Love" (Louis Alter);
"S'posin'" ( Paul Denniker)
"You Were Meant For Me" (Nacio Herb Brown)
"I'v Got A Feelin' I'm Falling" (Waller)
"Am I Blue" (Harry Akst). Ethel Waters sang it. from pix: On with the Show.
"Ain't Misbehavin'" (Fats Wller & Harry Brooks)
"Can't We Be Friends?" (Kay Swift) from: The Little Show
"Putting On The Ritz" (Irv. Berlin) pix
"Liza" (Gershwin) ex show 'Show Girl'
"I've Got A Crush On You" (Gershwin) ex Show girl
"Soon" (Gershwin) ex show girl
"With A Song In My Heart" (Rodgers & Hart) ex show, Spring is Here
"A Ship Without A Sail" (Rodgers & Hart) "
"What Is This Thing Called Love" (Porter) ex show 'Wake Up and Dream'
"More Than You Know" (Youmans-Rose-Eliscu) ex show Great Day
"Without a Song" " "
"Rockin' Chair" (H. Carmichael) Mildred Bailey Theme Song
"I'm in Seventh Heaven"
"Stardust" (Carmichael-Parrish)
"Mean To Me" (Fred Ahlert)
"Sweeping The Clouds Away" (Sam Coslow)

1930's
======
Continues, on Page 2 - 1930 to 1964