[Publius]

THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK

HARRY WARREN

“SEMINOLA”

Success in the 1920s was measured by sales of sheet music and records. Player piano rolls were still a factor but not for much longer as radio and records replaced them. It was a significant break if a songwriter could get a song snapped up by a Broadway revue, and even better if he had enough output to have a Broadway show built around his material. At this time, Harry had one of his songs picked up by Florenz Ziegfeld, but major success on Broadway eluded him. In those days Broadway belonged to Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern and George Gershwin.

Harry occupied a small niche at this time. In 1925 he teamed with Robert King for another hit. Today he would be accused of “cultural appropriation,” but in those days people were shameless about blacks and Indians. It was a different time and a different ethos. Note the tuba with its oom-pah bass line.

Jan Garber: “Seminola”

[left that other site]

"It was a significant break if a songwriter could get a song snapped up by a Broadway revue, and even better if he had enough output to have a Broadway show built around his material."

That happens a lot even to this day, in shows like "The Jersey Boys" and "Smokey Joe's Cafe". Hey ...Broadway shows made up of the former hits by modern artists might make a good music documentary for you to share with us!

(((HUGS)))