The Washington herald., 1911-01-08
THE NEWSBOY'S RISE.
Story Of What Gus Edwards Has
Accomplished.

| AcCO"pIlSh
Full Of difficulties has been the climb
| of Gus Edwards, who is at Chases this
| week, heading his Song Revue" the
| biggest vaudeville production on the
stage to-day. He is the composer of over
| 100 big song hits, producer Of eight big
| vaudeville acts, each and every one of
| which are hits. AS a business man. he
| is proprietor of the Gus Edward music
| publishing concern, which publishes all
| his big song hits. He writes the material
for all his own acts, both Ibrettos and
music. and everything is produced per-
| SOnally by him from the staging of the
dances to the hanging of the scenery.
| Mr.. Edwards has in his employ at the
present time $50 people, quite an army,
some of whom have been with him for
| many years. In speaking of his success
recently, Mr.. Edwards had this to say:
Il did not reach my success as easily
| as you might imagine. 1t was a hard
climb, and to-day, as l look back to
my past hardShipS, l appreciate the cost
of my success. l was born in Prussia;
came over here an immigrant boy; lived
in Brooklyn, n. Y, with my parents. and
1 remember that when I became ac-
quainted with the boys of the street how
| readily 1 learned the English language
l found myself always singing melodies.
This was at the age of twelve years.
Il used to earn nickels and dimes SHOW
cling snow off the sidewalks, and when
my customers had paid me I turned
around and put it back again and earned
the money over. 1 used to carry wood
for blocks and blocks, bringing 1t home
for my mother. so she would not have to
buy any kindling for the stove. I sold
newspapers in Brooklyn for more than
a year, and many time / would 60 into
the back part of a cafe with my bundle
of newspapers and sing songs. I was
gifted with a good voice, and was al
ways sure Of earning two or three dollars
a night. After a while, when the sum-
mer months came around, I would ride
in the street cars to Coney Island at
night and go through the car singing
popular ditties, and in this way I earned
a comfortable livelihood for boy. There
never was q time that did not make
money, but 1 was always one of the few
boys who did not shoot craps or do any
gambling or hanging around the sa-
looms for drink or smoke, and this to-day
is one of the reasons for my success.
Il always was a lover of music. and
would sit down at the piano and pick
out melodies. One day composed a
song at the piano. though could not
read a note of music or know what notes
I was playing. I just simply found that
I could sit at the piano and play pretty
melodies. l kept tnlS up IOf Some Time
until I met young fellow by the name
of Will d. Cobb and we worked together.
He wrote some lyrics and wrote the
music to fit the words. At the age of
sixteen I wrote I Can't Tell Why Love
You, But I Do which afterward turned
out to be q big success. 1 followed this
up with All l Want Is My Black Baby
Back Could You Be True to Eyes Of
Blue?' 'Tammany,' .Zan<ibar.' 'Good-by.
Little Girl, Good-by.' Mamie In Ny
Merry Oldsmobile.' I Couldn't Stand to
See My Baby Lose Louisiana Lou and
a great many others. Years ago realized
was making a lot of money for music
publishers, and they were getting the
benefit OF my brains. and I decided to
go into the music-publishing business
and publish my own songs. started
business with II Girl Like You Loved
a Boy Like Me- 'Somebody's Sweetheart
Want to BE- and Two Dirty Little
Handx" Then / put out Schoolday.
which sold over 100000 copies; 'Sunbon-
net sue.' 7 Just Can't Mako Ny Eyes
Behave. and all the songs that you hear
n my SenDe Revuas - =