Herbert Reynolds
Michael Elder Rourke (14 July 1867 – 26 August 1933), who assumed the pen name Herbert Reynolds in 1913, was an Irish-American lyricist. Reynolds wrote the lyrics to Jerome Kern's first big hit, "They Didn't Believe Me", interpolated into the 1914 American version of The Girl from Utah, produced by Charles Frohman. The show had a successful run of 140 performances at the Knickerbocker Theatre, opening on August 14, 1914. Frohman had hired the young Kern to write five new songs for the score together with Reynolds to strengthen what he felt was a weak first act. Julia Sanderson and Donald Brian starred in the production. He shared the lyric writing with P. G. Wodehouse in Miss Springtime (1916), with additional music by Kern. Reynolds went on to collaborate with Kern and several other lyricists on the Broadway musical Very Good Eddie with a book by Guy Bolton and Philip Bartholomae, and again in Rock-a-Bye Baby (1918). |
Birth and Death Data: Born 1867, Died 1933
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1914 - 1949
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, songwriter
Notes: M. E. Rourke changed his name to Herbert Reynolds in 1913.
See Also: Rourke, M. E.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | C-15183 | 12-in. | 9/11/1914 | Gems from The girl from Utah | Victor Light Opera Company | Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | C-16055 | 12-in. | 5/27/1915 | Gems from Nobody home | Victor Light Opera Company | Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | C-16462 | 12-in. | 9/8/1915 | They didn't believe me | Alice Green ; Harry Macdonough | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-16463 | 10-in. | 9/8/1915 | Auf Wiedersehn | Alice Green ; Harry Macdonough | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | C-17126 | 12-in. | 2/7/1916 | Gems from Very good Eddie | Victor Light Opera Company | Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | C-18531 | 12-in. | 10/5/1916 | Gems from Little Miss Springtime | Victor Light Opera Company | Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | C-19308 | 12-in. | 2/23/1917 | Gems from Love o' Mike | Victor Light Opera Company | Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | C-19520 | 12-in. | 3/27/1917 | Auf Wiedersehn! | Julia Culp | Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-19541 | 10-in. | 4/2/1917 | If I find the girl | Stewart Jackson | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-19604 | 10-in. | 4/18/1917 | If I find the girl | Henry Burr | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | C-21998 | 12-in. | 6/21/1918 | Gems from Rock-a-bye baby | Victor Light Opera Company | Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-36352 | 10-in. | 9/24/1926 | Half a moon (Is better than no moon) | Johnny Marvin ; Nathaniel Shilkret ; Victor Orchestra | Orchestra, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | PBS-90262 | 10-in. | 6/12/1935 | Auf Wiedersehen | Nelson Eddy ; Nat Shilkret Orchestra | Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | CS-026828 | 12-in. | 9/8/1938 | Very good Eddie | Leonard W. Joy ; Victor Light Opera Company | Vocal soloists, with orchestra and vocal ensemble | lyricist | |
| Victor | PBS-061960 | 10-in. | 12/8/1941 | They didn't believe me | Nan Wynn | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | D5VB-1089 | 10-in. | 7/21/1945 | They didn't believe me | Artie Shaw Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
| Victor | PD6VB-1604 | 10-in. | 1/30/1946 | They didn't believe me | Jack Lowe ; Russ Case Orchestra ; Arthur Austin Whittemore | Piano duet with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
| Victor | PD6VB-2335 | 10-in. | 6/11/1946 | Auf Wiedersehn! | Donald Dame ; Russ Case Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | D7VB-0495 | 10-in. | 4/10/1947 | They didn't believe me | Beryl Davis ; Toots Camarata Orchestra | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | D7VB-2210 | 10-in. | 11/19/1947 | They didn't believe me | Johnny Bradford ; Russ Case Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
| Victor | D9RC-1257 | 12-in. | 8/23/1949 | They didn't believe me | Mario Lanza ; Ray Sinatra | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | 45962 | 10-in. | 8/23/1915 | Auf Wiedersehn | Grace Kerns ; Hardy Williamson | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | 46435 | 10-in. | 2/18/1916 | On the shore at Le Lei Wi | Grace Kerns ; Reed Miller | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | 46649 | 10-in. | 3/18/1916 | They didn't believe me | Grace Kerns ; Reed Miller | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | 47091 | 10-in. | 10/19/1916 | Throw me a rose | Reed Miller | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | W142558 | 10-in. | 8/23/1926 | Half a moon | Johnny Marvin | Male vocal solo, with ukulele | songwriter | |
| Columbia | W142941 | 10-in. | 11/17/1926 | Half a moon | The Knickerbockers ; Johnny Marvin | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Columbia | 143279 | 10-in. | 1/10/1927 | Half a moon | Astorites ; Tom Martin | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| OKeh | 677 | 10-in. | ca. May 1919 | Arabian nights | Shamrock Trio | Vocal trio, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| OKeh | 80150 | 10-in. | 10/1/1926 | Half a moon is better than no moon | Araby Gardens Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
| Brunswick | E20203-E20204 | 10-in. | 9/18/1926 | Half a moon (Is better than no moon) | Ray Perkins | Male vocal solo, with piano | songwriter | |
| Brunswick | E20235-E20236 | 10-in. | 9/23/1926 | Half a moon (Is better than no moon) | Ray Perkins | Male vocal solo, with piano | songwriter | |
| Brunswick | E20324-E20325 | 10-in. | 10/2/1926 | Half a moon (Is better than no moon) | Ray Perkins | Male vocal solo, with piano | songwriter | |
| Brunswick | E20850-E20852 | 10-in. | 12/1/1926 | Half a moon (Is better than no moon) | Ben Bernie ; Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Brunswick | E30712-E30713 | 10-in. | 8/27/1929 | They didn‘t believe me | Five Pennies ; Red Nichols | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) | lyricist | |
| Edison | 4117 | 10-in. | 9/15/1915 | Auf Wiedersehn | Helen Clark ; Reed Miller | Female-male vocal duet and mixed vocal trio, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Edison | 4123 | 10-in. | 9/16/1915 | They didn't believe me | Gladys Rice ; Walter Van Brunt | Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Edison | 4124 | 10-in. | 9/17/1915 | Waltz of the season | George Wilton Ballard ; Frederick J. Wheeler | Vocal duet (tenor and baritone) and vocal ensemble, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Edison | 4196 | 10-in. | 10/15/1915 | Auf wiedersehn | Burton Lenihan ; Gladys Rice | Vocal duet (soprano and tenor) and mixed vocal trio, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Edison | 5056 | 10-in. | 10/10/1916 | A little bid for sympathy | Gladys Rice ; Walter Van Brunt | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Edison | 5057 | 10-in. | 10/10/1916 | In the garden of romance | Gladys Rice ; Frederick J. Wheeler | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Edison | 11220 | 10-in. | 9/27/1926 | Half a moon (Is better than no moon) | Johnny Marvin | Male vocal solo, with ukulele | songwriter | |
| Gramophone | 0B1124 | 10-in. | 10/1/1931 | They didn't believe me | Ambrose Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and female vocal trio | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Reynolds, Herbert," accessed April 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112132.
Reynolds, Herbert. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112132.
"Reynolds, Herbert." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Reynolds, Herbert, 1867-1933 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2003039770
Wikidata: Herbert Reynolds - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5735372
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/21829920
MusicBrainz: Herbert Reynolds - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/bc3aa5cf-c3a9-46ae-bde9-e3ba9ec58a99
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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