Fred Fisher
b. Sept. 30, 1875, Cologne, Germany, d. Jan. 14, 1942, New York, NY, USA
Overview
Fred Fisher was educated in Germany where he served in the German military, and later in the French Foreign Legion. In 1900, he emigrated to the United States and his songwriting career began shortly thereafter. From the early years of this century through to the 1940's, Fred was one of America's best-known writers. He was the father of Doris Fisher, a fine songwriter/entertainer in her own right.

When Fred was just 13 years old, he ran away from home and joined the German Navy. When his stint in the Navy was over, he traveled to France and joined the French Foreign Legion. When his tour of duty with the Legion was over, Fred emigrated, in 1900, to the U.S.A. where he settled in Chicago, IL. While in Chicago, a saloon pianist taught him to play the piano. In 1905, Fred formed his own music publishing firm, and, in 1906, wrote his first successful tune "If the Man in the Moon Were a Coon".

Fisher never lost his German accent, but mastered the English idiom well enough to write a great many hit songs. Some biographers report on his nerves. Whenever he became very nervous, he would pull dollars bills from his pocket and tear them up. He had a small office and would occasionally bring a garbage truck to the office so he could get rid of stacks of unsold songs, and get more working space. In the following 15 years, Fisher had one major hit after another, many still popular to this day. The 1949 film 'Oh You Beautiful Doll' was a biography of his life, and while the film may not have been exactly accurate, it was nevertheless very entertaining. Most of his songs were written with different lyricists.

Brief Chronology:
1906 "If the Man in the Moon Were a Coon", His first published tune.
1910 "Come Josephine, In My Flying Machine", lyric Alfred Bryan
1910 "Any Little Girl That's a Nice Little Girl", lyric Thomas J. Gray
1913 "Peg O'My Heart", lyric Alfred Bryan (A huge Joe Mooney orch 1947 hit.)
1914 "There's a Broken Heart for Every Light On Broadway"
1914 "Who Paid the Rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle When Rip Van Winkle Went
        Away", lyric by Al Bryan. (Popularized by Al Jolson)
1914 "There's a Little Spark of Love Still Burning", lyric Joe McCarthy
1916 "Ireland Must Be Heaven for My Mother Came from There", lyric by Joe McCarthy and Howard Johnson.
1916 "There's a Little Bit of Bad in Every Good Little Girl", lyric by Grant Clarke

1916 "You Can't Get Along With 'Em or Without 'Em", Lyric Grant Clarke
1917 "They Go Wild, Simply Wild, Over Me", lyric Joe McCarthy
1917 "Lorraine, My Beautiful Alsace Lorraine", lyric Al Bryan
1918 "Oui, Oui, Marie", lyric Al Bryan and Joe McCarthy
1919 "Dardanella" lyric by Felix Bernard See Note: below.
1920 "Daddy You've Been a Mother to Me", Words and lyrics by Fisher
1921 "When the Honeymoon Was Over", Words and lyrics by Fisher
1922 "Chicago", Words and lyrics by Fisher, Originally a vaudeville hit for Blossom Seeley and later million seller record for Frank Sinatra in 1957.
1924 "Come On Red", Sidney Holden lyric. (Recorded by Whitey Kaufman and his Original Pennsylvania Serenaders).
1924 "Savannah, The Georgiana Blues"
1925 "Phoebe Snow"
1927 "When The Morning Glories Wake Up In the Morning, Then I'll Kiss Your Two Lips Goodnight", Billy Rose Lyric. (Miff Mole and Red Nichols were in the band when the Don Voorhees Orch. recorded the song.
1928 "There Ain't No Sweet Man Worth The Salt of My Tears", a Paul Whiteman Orch. hit recording.
1928 "Happy Days and Lonely Nights", A Billy Rose lyric.
1928 "I'de Rather Be Blue Thinking of You (Than Be Happy With Soneone Else)", Billy Rose Lyric, (for film 'My Man') recorded by Fanny Brice.
1930 "I Don't Want Your Kisses If I Can't Have Your Love", Martin Brunes Lryic.
1930 "Blue Is The Night"
1930 "Dust, Dust", Andy Wright Lyric. (Ex film 'Children of Pleasure)
1935 "My Georgia Rockin' Chair"
1935 "Your Feets Too Big", Ada Johnson lyric. A Huge hit for "Fats" Waller

By and large, Fisher's best years were behind him now, but around 1925, he was called to Hollywood to write background music for the Silent films, and stayed long enough to have some of his songs placed in a few of the earliest 'talkies'. Several of his tunes are found in the talkie 'Hollywood Revue of 1929', and again in the 1930 film 'Their Own Desire' starring Norma Shearer.

In 1941, he, and his daughter, wrote "Whispering Grass", which became a big hit in England. (In 1941, it was the number one song on the BBC Hit Parade.)

NOTE: Strictly speaking, Dardanella is not a Fred Fisher song. It was apparently composed by Felix Bernard, who then sold the rights for $100 to vaudevillian Johnny S. Black, as a piano rag. Black's biggest hit was "Paper Doll", which was later used by Tommy Lyman, and still later a huge 1942 hit for the Mills Brothers vocal group. Fisher and Black had merely adapted it, with great success. The Fisher version sold well over two million copies of sheet music and over 6 million records. Fisher's version had an ostinato bass, - a recurring rhythm. (This technique was, later, a pattern used in a type of music called 'Boogie Woogie'.) In 1921, Jerome Kern's score for the Broadway show 'Good Morning, Dearie' had a tune called Ka-lu-a, with lyric by Anne Caldwell. Jerry Kern used a somewhat similar ostinato in the tune. Fisher, who strongly believed that he and Bernard had 'invented' the idea, took Kern to court, charging plagiarism. The court found in Fisher's favor, and awarded him $250.00 in compensation.

Fisher has been inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.

   Doris Fisher
b. May 2, 1915, New York, NY, USA d. Jan. 15, 2003, Los Angeles, CA. USA.
Overview.
It must be hereditary. Doris Fisher, the daughter of composer Fred Fisher, was herself a composer. She is mostly recalled today as an entertainer who sang in nightclubs and on radio. In the early 1940's, she sang with the Eddie Duchin Orchestra

In 1938, she composed (with bassist "Slim" Gaillard) "Tutti Frutti". In 1940, she co-composed (with her father, Fred Fisher) the song "Whispering Grass," -a big hit for the Ink Spots vocal group. Subsequently, (also in the early 1940's), she formed her own group which performed under the name of 'Penny Wise and Her Wise Guys', which met with only limited success. She also sang with the Eddy Duchin Orch.

Her principal collaborator was Lyricist Allan Roberts, with whome she wrote songs such songs as:
In 1944 alone:
   "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall," a major hit for "The Ink Spots", and Ella Fitzgerald.
   "Angelina (The Waitress At The Pizzeria)," -a Louis Prima Orch. hit.
   "That Ole Devil Called Love," composed for singer Billie Holiday
   "Good, Good, Good," sung by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters;
   "Invitation To The Blues," a hit for Ella Mae Morse with Harry James Orch.
   "You Always Hurt The One You Love," a big hit the 'Mills Brothers' and later a novelty for Spike Jones band.

Other Fisher-Roberts hits included
   "Tampico," A hit for Stan Kenton Orch with June Christy vocal.
   "Tired", a huge hit for singer Pearl Bailey
   "That's Good Enough For Me", aother Pearl Bailey's hit.

Fisher and Roberts began to write for Columbia Pictures, where their first project was Gilda, starring Rita Hayworth.
   1946 "Put the Blame Mame", for the film 'Gilda', starring Rita Hayworth.

Other films to which Fisher and Roberts contributed music include:
   Singin' In The Corn
   The Corpse Came C.O.D.
   Down To Earth
   Dead Reckoning
   The Lady From Shanghai
   Strawberry Roan
   Thrill Of Brazil, The

In 1949, Fisher married Charles Gershenson, gave up Hollywood for Detroit, and retired from the music business. Her next career consisted of bringing up a daughter, Frederica Thea, and son, Ned Gershenson. She later enjoyed another career in interior design.

she was a member of a great musical family. Her father, Fred Fisher (see below), was the composer of such hit tunes as "Peg O' My Heart," "Dardanella," and "Chicago." Her two brothers also wrote songs: Dan FIsher was especially known for what became a C&W standard, "Good Morning Heartache", while brother Marvin Fisher had a big hit in "When Sunny Gets Blue." Doris was 87 years old when she died.

   Marvin Fisher
b. Sept. 26, 1916, New York, NY, USA, d. August 21, 1993, New York, NY, USA.
Currently No Information on this son of famous composer Fred Fisher and brother of composer Doris Fisher. Definitely a musical family.

Among his popular-song compositions are:
    "Alone In Paris", with Richard Ahlert
   "Blue Monday", with Bobbg Sharp and Charles Singleton
   "Hanky Panky" , (Words and music Marvin Fisher)
   " I Keep Going Back To Joe's"
   "Impatient Lover", with Jack Segal (aka: "Ce Serait Domage")
   "Love Is A Dangerous Game", with Jack Segal
   "Me Gotta Have You", with Roy Alfred
   "Quiet Girl", with Jack Segal
   "Strange"
   "Suzy", with Jeff Alexander
   "When Sunny Gets Blue", with Jack Segal (rec'd: Johnny Mathis,1946)

   Dan Fisher
b. August 26, 1920, Mount Vernon, New York, USA, d. Sept. 6, 2001
Songwriter, author, producer and publisher, Dan was the son of Fred Fisher and brother of Doris and Marvin Fisher (all songwriters). As a very young man, he worked as a song-plugger for his famous father's publishing firm. From song-plugging, be went on to compose writing songs for such stars as Billie Holiday, Mabel Mercer, Mildred Bailey and Hope Emerson. In 1953, he Joined ASCAP, and collaborated musically with Irene Higginbotham, Sammy Gallop and Ervin Drake, among others. He also composed music for the road-company of the shows "You Can't Take It With You" and "A Second String". In addition to owning and operating 'summer-stock' theater companies he also,produced the plays "A Lady in Danger", and "Springtime for Henry", In later years, he owned and managed (his father's) Fred Fisher Music Company and (his brother's) Marvin Music Company.

Among his popular-song compositions are:
   "Fritzie"
   Good Morning Heartache", with Ervin M. Drake, and Irene Higginbotham.
   "I'm Reading Old Letters", with Charles Singleton
   "Mama, Put That Skillet On"
   "My Love May End".
   "No Pad to be Had", , with Irene Higginbotham.and Sydney Shaw
   "No Good Man", with Irene Higginbotham and Sammy Gallop (recorded by Billie Holiday)

   "Red" Foley
b. 1910, Blue Lick, Kentucky, d. 1968, Fort Wayne, Indiana
né: Clyde John Foley
Overview.
"Red" Foley may be the most famous 'country' (hillbilly) singers of all time. His popularity peaked in the 1940's and 1950's. He appeared regularly on Nashville's 'Grand Ole Opry' show and was a popular recording star. His daughter, Shirley, married popular singer Pat Boone.

In common with many other composers and entertainers, Foley formed his own publishing firm to promote the many country-type songs he composed.