The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-02
YOU CAN'T TELL ABOUT SONGS
CHAMPAGNE CHARLIE" SOLD BY
IT'S AUTHOR FOR $40.

Pratt Thought He was Doing well. Too
Famous Songs That were Long RE-
Jectcd-An Uncertain Proposition for
Publishers The B%egipning Of Fame.
To illustrate the uncertainty that accom-
panies the publishing Of a song, Willis
Woodward, n OF the Oldest publishers on
Tin Pan alley, related the following incl
dent:
"Ever heard Of Charlie PrattP" he said.
We'll, he composed as many as six songs
a week. Some were good and some were
poor, but as he had a reputation he had no
trouble In ~disposlng Of his manuscripts.
-0ne day Pratt went to a music publish
ing house on Broadway. He had a script
with him that he regarded as one of the poor
est he had turned out. He was in need OF
money and approached the leading member
OF the firm.
- want money badly he said. I've
got something new. Give me $40 for It..
I've got to have the cash right away. as I
must catch a train
Charlie had no train to catch, nor was
he in a hurry. The ruse was simply in
tended to distract attention from the manu-
script. Charlie felt that IL the song was
IATA ~ WObIh Nv bliAuilbil H. ItJtNiVIs
-When he got the SO he fairly ran out
Of the place, fearing that he would be called
| back and asked to refund the money.
About a month later he returned to the
| Office of the firm and, seeing large piles
Of music on the counter and a number
Of clerks busy packing and sending the
copies away, he carelessly remarked:
What sons il that?'
q NVhxy , Ano ~ tho rtortra rotNliQd that
is your own song. The one you sold the
day you had to catch a train. We can't
get enough copies TO meet our orders
aThe song was Champagne Charlie
which was a tremendous hit both in
America and England.
The Song That Reached My Heart
which is still selling, had a strange his
tory, /" Woodward went on. Julian Jordan
wrote 1t and l published it.
-Mr. Jordan was engaged to sing for
Thatcher, Primrose a Vests Minstrels.
and naturally he selected one Of his own
compositions to make his debut, but Mr..
Primrose wouldn't let him sing it. The
song that Primrose gave him failed to make
an impression. So Jordan said that II
Mr.. Primrose would agree he would under
take to write IN entirely new song and
HdNc liz SIT Pl lCdhAJ " NV AAb
night.
ITO this Mr.. Primrose agreed, and the
result was The Song That Reached My
Heart In less than twenty-four hours
Mr.. Jordan had composed a song that is
destined to live forever.
"'Grandfather's Clock another Of my
publications, was written by Henry c.
Work, the famous composer of Marching
J r. -o,,- nNoru;af and aEathar noor Eafhar
| Come Home with Me Now l took the
! song to Dave Wambold, who returned it.
! remarking that he wouldn't sing it at a
dog fight.
~I've got a barrelful Of such rot home In
my trunk he said, and I'll give you the
songs for nothing if you send an express
man for the stuff
Sam Lucas, a negro singer who was
then on the road with the Hyer Sisters,
wrote to me one day for a song. Isent him
a copy OF 'Grandfather's Clock and a
week later I received a telegram that he
had made the hit Of his life with the song.
After that il was sung everywhere, as you
know.
Blu for the Spanish-American war I
guess the fame Of A Hot Time in the Old
! Town Tonight might have been confined
to this country. Josephine Sabel used
the song and made good with Il. Then
May Irwin made it popular.
at was a coon song, somewhat different
from the rest. and l never thought it would
be anything more than a mere stage hit. But
fortune was in my favor, for when the war
broke out several of the bands took up the
SONG and played it as they marched away.
The soldiers sang it around the campfires
and Sraniards really believed it to be the
national air of America.
The war correspondents Of newspapers
all over the world praised the song. and
before l knew it the song was translated
into many different languages. 1t had a
wonderfully large sale.
THE lack of business ability among
composers was never better illustrated.
perhaps, than in the case of II. p. banks,
a famous writer of TIE Deums. banks
went the rounds of the different publishers
with the manuscript of Silver Threads
Among the Gold until he was footsore
| and weary. AT each place he visited he was
turned down.
Then he struck an obscure music pub
Usher on Fourteenth street. The pub