Harry Tierney
b. May 21, 1890, Perth Amboy, NJ, USA. d. 1965, New York, NY, USA.
Overview:
Composer Harry Tierney collaborated primarily with lyricist Joseph McCarthy. The team worked on several hit Broadway musicals.

Harry's musical background was impeccable. His mother was a pianist who gave him his first lessons, and his father was a trumpeter in a symphony orchestra. One of his uncles taught him harmony and compostion. Later, Tierney attended the Virgil Conservatory of Music in New York City.

Before WW1, Harry toured as a concert pianist. In 1915, he traveled to London, England where he worked for as a staff composer for a British publisher. While in this position, three of his songs were published:
"King of the Maniac Band"
"Pass Along"
"Just For Tonight"
He also scored a revue and a musical comedy for the London stage. All this convinced him that his future lay in composing popular tunes, and in 1916, he returned to the U.S.

Brief Chronology:
1916 He wrote "M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i", with lyric by Bert Hanlon and Benny Ryan. Frances White sang it in Florenz Ziegfeld's Broadway show "Midnight Frolics'.

1917 The Broadway show 'Follow Me' had three of Tierney's song, one was:
        "It's a Cute Little Way of My Own", lyric by Alfred Bryan, Anna Held sang it successfully.

1918 The Broadway show 'Everything' at the Hippodrome Theater had two of his songs, both with lyrics by Joseph McCarthy:
        "Honky Tonky Town"
        "On Atlantic Beach"

In 1919, the Tin Pan Alley firm of Jerome Remick Music Publishing hired him as a staff composer. Some of his songs were soon interpolated into Broadway shows.

1919 the show 'Ziefgeld Follies of 1919', had
        "They're So Hard to Keep When They're Beautiful"
        "My Baby's Arms"
1920 The George M. Cohan show 'A Royal Vagabond' had:
        "A Wee Bit of Lace"
        "Charming"
1919 Tierney Scores his first show, 'Irene', a smash hit, that ran for 620 performances and then toured with 17 road companies. Among his hit songs from this play were:
        "Alice Blue Gown", probably his greatest hit. Edith Day sang it.
        "Castle of Dreams", adapted from Chopin's Minute Waltz.
1920 He was in England and scored the show 'Afgar'.
1922 Scored the Broadway musical 'Up She Goes', with such songs as:
        "Lady Luck, Smile On Me"
        "Let's Kiss and Make Up"
        "Journey's End"
1923 Tierney wrote for Ziefgeld's 'Kid Boots', starring Eddie Cantor.
        "Somebody Loves You After All"
        "If Your Heart's in the Game"
1923 Some of his songs were in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1923.
1924 Some of his songs were in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1924.
1927 He wrote the complete score for the Ziegfeld show 'Rio Rita'.
        "Rio Rita", had lyric by Joe McCarthy. "The Ranger's Song", lyric by McCarthy. This was the play that Ziegfeld used to open his new had beautiful theater on 54th Street and Sixth Avenue. (This author loved to go to that theater in the 1930's when it had become the Loew's Ziegfeld. --mlp.)

1928 Tierney's show 'Cross My Heart' flopped on Broadway.
1929 Wrote music for show 'Dixiana'.
1930 Wrote music for show 'Half Shot at Sunrise'.

After this, Tierney's career fell on hard times. He spent over a year writing the score for the operetta 'Omar Khayyam', which never made it to a stage. A second operetta 'Beau Brummel, flopped in St. Louis. In 1940, he did help Hollywood produce his stage hit, 'Irene' on film. He has also written a Ballet called 'Prelude to a Holiday in Hong Kong'.

Tierney was elected to the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. Harry died in New York City in 1965, at age 75.

   Juan Tizol
b. Jan. 20, 1900, San Juan, Puerto Rico, d. April 23, 1984, Inglewood, CA, USA.
In 1920, Juan relocated to the United States where he first obtained work in the pit band of the Howard Theatre in Washington, D. C. During this same time, a young "Duke" Ellington (b. April 29, 1899, Washington, D.C. USA) was putting together his own first band in the D.C. area. In September 1929, Tizol joined Ellington's orchestra, -remaining with Ellington for the next 15 years.

Curiously, Tizol is not so much remembered for his fine valve-trombone work with Ellington, but rather for the songs that he composed during that same period, including such tunes as "Caravan", "Perdido", "Bakiff," "Pyramid," "Moonlight Fiesta," "Conga Brava," "Sphinx," and "Keb-lah". All these were recorded by one or another of Ellington's ensembles. A very good case can be made that it was Ellington's love of Tizol's work, and Ellington's willingness to orchestrate the melodies that brought Tizol such world wide fame (deservedly).

Tizol's two most popular songs are "Caravan" and "Perdido". Interestingly, Tizol sold the rights to the "Caravan" to Irving Mills for US$25.00. Mills also provided the (rarely heard) lyrics to "Caravan". Later, when the tune became a world-wide hit, Mills gave the rights and royalties back to Tizol In 1944, two years after Ellington first recorded "Perdido" as an intrumental number, Ervin Drake and H. J. Lengsfelder wrote the lyrics. Songstresses Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington both had popular releases of the song.

In 1944, Juan departed Ellington's band and joined the Harry James Orchestra, mainly to be based in California, where his wife was living. In 1951, Ellington made what became known as "The Great James Raid", when he induced Tizol, along with the drummer Louis Bellson and alto saxophonist Willie Smith, to rejoin his band. However, the big band era had ended, and in 1953, Tizol became a Los Angeles studio, or sessions, musician, working mostly with Nelson Riddle and Frank Sinatra.

While he is little recalled for his excellent valve-trombone playing, his compositions are a precious legacy.

   Jack B. Tenney
Jack Tenney was a piano player, bandleader, and later a California legislator. In between, he did write one hit song,"Mexicali Rose". How that came about makes for an interesting little story.

Calexico is in the USA just north of the Mexican border, while just across the Mexican border is the town of Mexicali. In 1902, Prohibition came to Calexico, (20 years before the rest of the USA), and so the thirsty men of Calexico simply crossed the border into Mexicali, making it a boomtown. Mexicali soon drew down the undesirables of nearby California towns, - "soiled" doves from the red-light district, gamblers, fight fans, and all manner of hustlers made Mexicali their home.

In 1913, 'The Owl Cafe and Dance Hall' opened in Mexicali. While there was some dancing in the center of the floor, it was the gambling at all the small tables that drew the customers --as well as all the girls who danced with whomever asked them. (The men paid $1 a dance, and no one paid any attention ot the music)

The first catastrophy occured in June 1915 when an earthquake leveled the place, but It was quickly rebuilt and called The Owl Theater, and the gambling resumed. As the song lyric said, " The town was a growin; the money was a flowin; and the boys were a throwin; it around, all around".

Then in 1920, another disaster occurred when a devastating fire.burned the club down. But soon, a a bigger and better 'New Owl' opened it's doors, - complete with the 'de rigeur' dance floor, "dancing" girls, an orchestra platform and a seven-piece band..

In 1921, Jack Tenney first became the New Owl's piano player, and soon also became the orchestra leader. Subsequently, Tenney left the New Owl, and found work at the "Imperial Cabaret.". It was while working at the Imperial, that he composed a little melody he simply called "The Waltz.". At first it had no lyric, but. eventually (1923) one was added, by Helen Stone, and the name was changed to "Mexicali Rose." Many years later, singer Bing Crosby would make it a hit

Let's listen to "cowboy actor" Gene Autry singing "Mexicali Rose", in 1939. , (526 kb)

At first many folks thought the title referred to some dance hall girl with a dubious reputation, However, in later years, Tenney said that the name was really a joke. He told an interviewer:

        "There was an old lady who ran a boarding house in Brawley. Every 30 days when the railroad men were
       paid, she came to Mexicali. We;d play the waltz for her, and she;d sit around drinking and crying. She must have
       been 50 or 60 years old and weighed 200 pounds. I don;t know what her name was but Jack Hazelip, my
        saxophone player called her 'Mexicali Rose'.

Finally, lyricist Helen Stone added these words to Tenney's lovely little waltz melody:

        Mexicali Rose, stop crying,
        I;ll come back to you some sunny day.
        every night you know that I'll be pining,
        Every hour every year when I;m away.

        Dry those big brown eyes and smile, dear
        Banish all those tears and please don;t cry.
        Kiss me once again, and hold me.
        Mexicali Rose, goodbye.

        Mexicali Rose I'm Leaving
        Don't Be Blue
        Mexicali Rose stop teasing
        I Love You

        When the dove of love is winging
        through the blue
        All the castles you've been building
        will come true.

        Mexicali Rose, stop crying,
        I;ll come back to you some sunny day.
        every night you know that I'll be pining,
        Every hour every year when I;m away.

        Dry those big brown eyes and smile, dear
        Banish all those tears and please don;t cry.
        Kiss me once again, and hold me.
        Mexicali Rose, goodbye.

Many years later, famed singer. Bing Crosby made a recording which put it on the "Hit Parade." Actress Barbara Stanwyck starred in a movie of the same name, and the song was seen again in the title of a 1939 film starring Gene Autry. Meanwhile, during all this, Jack Tenney went to law school , became a lawyer, and in 1936 was elected to the California State Legislature.