The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-30
HE Is A SONG BOOMER.
Tricks Used to Make the Public Rec
Ognize Good Thing.


New York Sun.
You couldn't guess how 1 make my liv-
ing if you guessed for a month of Sundays"
said a well-dressed young man at a roof
garden. I'm song promoter. I'm the man
who makes the popular songs popular. L
earn big money and I've grown into a ne
cessity to the music publishing house that
employs me.
THE company works one big town at
time. 1t sends on, by freight. stack Of the
music of the song to be made popular. 1t is
not put on sale until give the word
81 get TO a town after the music has been
placed in the hands of the leading music
houses. arrange with two or three the
aters to aid me in introducing the song.
Maybe 1 go to the SWEETEST theater in
town Monday night and sit in lower box.
in my evening clothes. like an ordinary
patron During the daytime I will have
fixed the orchestra and had the music run
over. Between the first and second act, per-
haps, stand up in my box and begin sing
ing
THE audience is startled. Ushers run
through the aisles. A policeman comes i'm
and walks toward. the box. About the time
the policeman is where he can be seen by
l.
in front of the curtain and begin the Choir
us. with the orchestra playing and the audi
ence, that is now on to the game clapping
so hard it almost bisters its hands
Il have, may be, a good whistler in the
gallery, whom l have taught during the
day. He helps me when 1 begin teaching the
gallery to whistle the chorus. He leads the
gods and before have done they and the
whole house have caught the air.
Il usually get the orchestra TO play the
chorus the audience is going out. Every
body goes home humming whistlng IL.
But long before the home-going. probably.
L have walked singing down the aisle OF
another theater between the second and
third act have been led out by an usher
and have then come back and stood in front
OF the orchestra and taught the theater's
audience TO sing and whistle the song.
Il had small boy with me awhile.
church choir soprano. He got a little too
precocious and had to ship him home. He
used TO sit in the front row of the gallery
and break into the song there and then L
would join in the chorus from the box.
walking on To the stage. Finally, he would
come down, singing as he came.
One day l was late at dinner at big
Southwestern hotel and / was startled TO
hear a voice 1 knew singing In the dining
room, the hotel orchestra accompanying it.
/ entered and looking away down toward
the center of the room saw my boy stand
ing on top of a table, shrilly piping Under
the Bamboo Tree and every diner was
cheering when he finished the chorus.
This won't do | said. as helped the
lad down and apologized 10 the head waiter
and the guests sitting near.
thought you said we had TO push the
business wherever the chance could be
found 10 do il. he said, as he explained his
action. But he was too much Of pusher for
me.
THE best thing I ever did 10 popularizs
song was done right here I'm little old New
York. in roof garden theater. My wife
knew a girl who was making hit at the
garden. so we had to go and see the girl IN
two and planned little surprise.
Il met the girl, who did a singing part.
and fixed the thing UP with her. The or
mine. readily fell into line. was engaged
in promoting popularity for Go Away an
Let Me Sleep about this time and / saw
a chance 10 do some noble work.
MY wife wanted TO sit away UP In front,
her friend would see her, but insisted
on taking chairs in the rear of the garden.
near the elevator landing. The crowd was
large The night was hot and the bin wss
good
Il don't know what makes me so drowsy,
I said to my wife as her friend came on I
in that last glass of lemonade.
81 leaned back in my chair with one elbow
on the table. AS the girl sang I began TO
snore I snored so loud that IL disturbed
those listening 10 the singing. They looked
around i'm disgust. My wife gave me a kick
under the table.
Wake up. Charlie she said. You are
attracting attention snored harder than
ever. a waiter came over and shook me by
tho arm. My wife became alarmed and stood
up.
Most % the folks in our part of the gar
den thought / was drunk. One men started
toward the managers office 10 complain
just as policeman was brought my way
by second waiter
1.-The entire audience turned our way.
Some persons stood on chairs and others
moved out into the aisles. Just the police
man and the waiter raised me out OF my
chair | stretched and yawned like a man
dead for sumber and began singing:
Go away an let me sleep. All would
rather sleep than eat
out of one corner OF my eye noticed
great light spread over my wife's face. I
kept on singing i was being carried and
led To the elevator. / sang going down and
/ sang coming up.
AS the elevator reached the landing the
girl the stage struck into the chorus
along with the orchestra. and the audience
tumbled.
II never saw an audience so so nearly
crazy over anything I'm my life. Men laughed
until the tears came and women became
hysterical. My wife was the happiest wom-
an in all the town. She admitted Tor the
first time that / was a sure enough actor,
which | had made up my mind she should
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