Cliff Hess
Cliff Hess (June 19, 1894 – June 8, 1959) was a musician who composed songs including for numerous theatrical and film productions.[1]
Life and career
Cliff Hess was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 19, 1894.[2] While still a teenager,[3] he began his career as a pianist on passenger riverboats traversing the Mississippi River.[4] He relocated to New York City where he worked on the staff of several Tin Pan Alley music publishing firms, and later as an executive for multiple record labels.[3]
Hess served as Irving Berlin's secretary from 1913-1918.[4] Musicologist Charles Hamm noted that Hess likely contributed significantly to the finished product of Berlin's tunes written during this period. Hamm stated the following:
"It would be impossible to document precisely what Hess contributed to the final versions of Berlin's songs. The piano accompaniments were, in all likelihood, mostly his work. Lyrics and tunes were Berlin's inventions, and various accounts agree that he knew what harmony he wanted as well."[5]
Hess became a member of ASCAP in 1919.[3] His most successful tunes were "Homesickness Blues" (1917) and "Freckles. [4] Other songs he wrote included "Don't You Remember the Day", "Huckleberry Finn", "I'm in Heaven (When I'm in My Mother's Arms)", "I Used to Call Her Baby", "Sweet Marimba", "When Alexander Takes His Ragtime Band to France", and "While the Years Roll By".[3]
He recorded with Victor Records and Columbia Records.[6]
Hess lived in East Orange, New Jersey for several years.[3] He died in Cameron County, Texas on June 8, 1959.[2]
References
Citations
- ^ "Clifford Frank "Cliff" Hess". RagPiano.com.
- ^ a b Jasen & Jones 2000, p. 317.
- ^ a b c d e McNamara 1952, p. 230.
- ^ a b c Rehrig 1991, p. 373.
- ^ Magee 2012, p. 16.
- ^ "Cliff Hess". Discography of American Historical Recordings.
Bibliography
- Jasen, David A.; Jones, Gene (2000). That American Rag: The Story of Ragtime from Coast to Coast. Schirmer Books. ISBN 9780028647432.
- McNamara, Daniel I., ed. (1952). "Hess, Cliff". The ASCAP Biographical Dictionary of Composers, Authors and Publishers. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
- Rehrig, William H (1991). "Hess, Cliff". In Bierley, Paul E. (ed.). The Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music: Composers and Their Music. Integrity Press.
- Magee, Jeffrey (2012). Irving Berlin's American Musical Theater. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195398267.
External links
- Cliff Hess at IMDb
- Cliff Hess at the Internet Broadway Database