Alfred Bryan

Alfred Bryan (September 15, 1871 – April 1, 1958) was a Canadian lyricist.

Bryan was born in Brantford, Ontario. He worked as an arranger in New York and wrote lyrics for many Broadway shows in the late 1910s and early 1920s. In the 1920s he moved to Hollywood to write lyrics for screen musicals.

Bryan worked with several composers during his career. Among his collaborators were Henriette Blanke-Belcher, Fred Fischer, Al Sherman, Larry Stock and Joe McCarthy. Perhaps his most successful song was "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier" (1915), with music by Al Piantadosi. The song sold 650,000 copies during the first three months and became one of 1915's top-selling songs in the United States. Although Bryan himself was not a committed pacifist, he described the American public's anti-war sentiments in his lyrics.

He died in Gladstone, New Jersey, aged 86.

Birth and Death Data: Born September 15, 1871 (Brantford), Died April 1, 1958 (Gladstone)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1902 - 1949

Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, songwriter, composer

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 251-275 of 513 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 77489 10-in. 11/5/1917 Chimes of Normandy Robert Lewis Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 77545 10-in. 12/3/1917 Sweet little buttercup Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 77603 10-in. 12/27/1917 There's a lump of sugar down in Dixie Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 77608 10-in. 1/4/1918 Lorraine Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 77752 10-in. 4/3/1918 When Alexander takes his band to France Bob White [i.e., Vernon Dalhart] Male vocal solo, with orchestra songwriter  
Columbia 77783 10-in. 4/22/1918 They were all out of step but Jim Mike Bernard Piano solo songwriter  
Columbia 77787 10-in. 4/24/1918 Girls of France Hugh Donovan Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 77837 10-in. 5/19/1918 Cheer up, Father, cheer up, Mother Arthur Hall Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 77919 10-in. 6/24/1918 Cheer up Father, cheer up Mother Peerless Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 77949 10-in. 7/11/1918 Oui, oui, Marie Harry Fox Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 77993 10-in. 8/14/1918 Oui, oui, Marie Irving Kaufman Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 78193 10-in. 12/6/1918 On the road to Calais Al Jolson Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 78404 10-in. 4/19/1919 Monte Cristo Jr. medley Joseph M. Knecht ; Waldorf-Astoria Dance Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia 78446 10-in. 5/23/1919 I'm goin' to break that Mason-Dixon line Harry Fox Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 78583 10-in. 7/21/1919 I'm forever blowing bubbles Henry Burr ; Albert Campbell ; Columbia Saxophone Quartette Saxophone quartet, with male vocal duet lyricist  
Columbia 78987 10-in. 2/20/1920 Only a dream of the past Jack Kaufman Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 79423 10-in. 9/17/1920 I could have had you (but I let you get by) Art Hickman's Orchestra ; Nora Bayes Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band lyricist  
Columbia 79536 10-in. 11/24/1920 Love nights Nora Bayes Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 80130 10-in. 1/9/1922 Feather-bed Lane Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 80381 10-in. 6/9/1922 By the riverside Frank Crumit Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 30278 12-in. 7/19/1909 My wild deer Rambler Minstrel Company Minstrels, with orchestra ("My wild deer"); vocal quartet ("I wish I was in heaven sittin' down") lyricist  
Columbia 49565 12-in. 12/31/1918 Madelon (I'll be true to the whole regiment) Columbia Band ; Peerless Quartet Band, with male vocal quartet lyricist  
Columbia W140641 10-in. 6/1/1925 Row, row, Rosie! Eddie Cantor Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia W140737 10-in. 6/30/1925 Row, row, Rosie! Gangplank Orchestra ; Earl Gresh Jazz/dance band, with vocal ensemble lyricist  
Columbia 140815 10-in. 8/6/1925 Row, row, Rosie Arthur Fields ; Manhattan Dance Makers Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
(Results 251-275 of 513 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bryan, Alfred," accessed May 14, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105828.

Bryan, Alfred. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 14, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105828.

"Bryan, Alfred." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105828

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