Byron Gay
Byron Sturges Gay (August 28, 1886 – December 22, 1945) was an American songwriter. One of his best-known songs "Four or Five Times" (co–written with Marco H. Hellman) has been recorded by numerous artists including King Oliver, Sidney Bechet, Lionel Hampton, Bob Wills, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Peggy Lee and more. Byron also worked with the composer Richard A. Whiting, together they wrote such songs as "Horses" and "Fire", both popular dance and comedy songs. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Chicago (city and county seat of Cook County, and largest city in State of Illinois, United States of America), Died December 23, 1945
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1915 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 101-115 of 115 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edison | 6398 | 10-in. | 10/7/1918 | Sand dunes | All Star Trio | Saxophone, piano, and xylophone | composer | |
| Edison | 6793 | 10-in. | 5/15/1919 | The vamp | Green Brothers' Novelty Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Edison | 6892 | 10-in. | 7/31/1919 | Western land | All Star Trio | Instrumental trio | composer | |
| Edison | 7155 | 10-in. | 2/10/1920 | "O" (Oh!) | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer, lyricist | |
| Edison | 7972 | 10-in. | 5/10/1921 | The sidewalk | Orlando's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Edison | 8148 | 10-in. | 7/28/1921 | Catalina | Broadway Dance Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Edison | 8679 | 10-in. | 12/1/1922 | Fate (It was fate when I first met you) | Atlantic Dance Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Edison | 8934 | 10-in. | 4/18/1923 | Fate (It was fate when I first met you) | Criterion Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | composer | |
| Edison | 9016 | 10-in. | 6/7/1923 | Two little eyes | Homestead Trio ; Elizabeth Spencer | Soprano vocal solo and female vocal trio, with orchestra | composer, lyricist | |
| Edison | 9600 | 10-in. | 7/3/1924 | Radio | Atlantic Dance Orchestra ; Arthur Hall | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Edison | 10490 | 10-in. | 7/7/1925 | Just a little drink | Bud Kennedy ; Tennessee Happy Boys | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Edison | 11283 | 10-in. | 11/5/1926 | Fire! (An "alarming" novelty) | Tom Howard ; Jazz Babies | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Gramophone | 0PC1038 | 10-in. | 12/16/1954 | '0" | Conjunto Mário Simôes | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist, composer | |
| ARC | 14380 | 10-in. | 11/24/1933 | Sittin' on a log (Pettin' my dog) | Adrian Rollini Orchestra ; Jane Vance | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Columbia (U.K.) | WL260 | 10-in. | 12/14/1925 | Just a little drink | Clément Doucet ; Jean Wiener | Piano duet | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Gay, Byron," accessed January 7, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102204.
Gay, Byron. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102204.
"Gay, Byron." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 7 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Gay, Byron - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n78029020
Wikidata: Byron Gay - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5004363
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/157877989
MusicBrainz: Byron Gay - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/6ccad4eb-9b74-4f22-ad32-2bff6f53184c
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