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Con Conrad |
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Basic InformationBorn: Conrad K. Dober, June 18, 1891, New York City Died: Sept. 18, 1938 (age 47), Van Nuys, California Primary songwriting role: composer; also pianist and music publisher Co-writers: Click here to view a database of 41 |
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Winfield Sheehan was head of production for the early Fox musical, Fox Movietone Follies of 1929, and he hired several "music men" to work on it including Con Conrad, "the rakish New Yorker who'd had hits with 'Margie' in 1920 and 'Barney Google' in 1922. A hustling man-about-town, Conrad once promoted his bandleader friend Russ Columbo by engineering a phony romance between Columbo and Greta Garbo, a ploy that did nothing for her career, everything for his" (Marmorstein, p. 38). |
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| "Margie" (music by Con Conrad, words by Benny Davis) performed by Eddie Cantor (1921) | "Con Conrad (b. 1891, New York City, d. 1938, Van Nuys, CA.) was born Conrad K. Dober and came to Tin Pan Alley by way of vaudeville where he had starred since age 16. His first published song was "Down In Dear New Orleans" in 1912. He was a partner in a publishing firm, The Broadway Music Corporation, with Henry Waterson (later of Berlin, Waterson & Snider) and by 1918 was associated with other publishers, including Shapiro & Bernstein. "***Conrad's 1920 hit "Margie" was a resounding hit and established Conrad as a major songwriter of the era. "Margie" was written for Eddie Cantor and the name came from Cantor's five year old daughter. Cantor introduced the song at the Winter Garden and later included it in the 1921 revue, The Midnight Rounders. "Conrad wrote a number of other big hits from 1920 through the 30's till his death. Some of his big hits included, "Barney Google," 1923 with Billy Rose , "Ma! (He's Making Eyes At Me)," 1921 and "Prisoner of Love" [with Russ Columbo] in 1931." (RReady555's notes to his/her video at left) |
Fred Astaire sings and dances to Conrad's song "Like a Needle in a Haystack" (lyrics by Herb Magidson) in the 1934 movie The Gay Divorcee. |
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, An H. W. Wilson Biographical Dictionary. New York: The H. W. Wilson Co., 1987 (includes 146 bios of composers and lyricists). -- a wide selection of used copies is available at
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Credits(Con Conrad page) |
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