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Sam Coslow

Sam Coslow (December 27, 1902 – April 2, 1982) was an American songwriter, singer, film producer, publisher and market analyst. Coslow was born in New York City. He began writing songs as a teenager. He contributed songs to Broadway revues, formed the music publishing company Spier and Coslow with Larry Spier and made a number of recordings as a performer.

With the explosion of film musicals in the late 1920s, Hollywood attracted a number of ambitious young songwriters, and Coslow joined them in 1929. Coslow and his partner Larry Spier sold their publishing business to Paramount Pictures and Coslow became a Paramount songwriter. One of his first assignments for the studio was the score for the 1930 film The Virtuous Sin. He formed a successful partnership with composer Arthur Johnston and together they provided the scores for a number of films including Bing Crosby vehicles.

Coslow became a film producer in the 1940s and won the Academy Award for Best Short Film for his production Heavenly Music in 1943. He was married to actress Esther Muir from 1934 to 1948, and they had a daughter, Jacqueline Coslow, who also worked as an actress. In 1953 he married cabaret singer, Frances King, of Cafe Societie duo Noble & King. Sam and Frances remained married until his death in 1982. Together they had a daughter, Cara Coslow, who gained notoriety as Head of Casting for Carsey Werner Productions and the Producer of the television series Dante's Cove. Cara Coslow is also an author of two books.

During the 1960s Coslow's work shifted from music and film to market analysis. During this time Coslow founded the publishing company Investor's Press, which published investing books and the newsletter "Indicator Digest." During the 1970s Coslow wrote two books, "Cocktails for Two" which focused on his musical career and "Super Yields" which focused on investing. He died in Bronxville in 1982, aged 79.

Birth and Death Data: Born New York City (most populous city in the United States), Died April 2, 1982 (New York City (most populous city in the United States) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1033 - 1947

Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, composer, songwriter, tenor vocal, speaker

Notes: Sam Coslow credited in Victor ledgers as "The Broadway minstrel."

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

Recordings (Results 76-100 of 431 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor ESHQ-72877 8-in. 6/13/1932 Remember, cherie Gloria Palace Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-74734 10-in. 12/28/1932 Twenty million people Jack Denny ; Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-74735 10-in. 12/28/1932 Moon song Jack Denny ; Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-75535 10-in. 3/17/1933 Moon song (That wasn't meant for me) Frances Langford Female vocal solo, with instrumental quintet lyricist  
Victor BS-76451 10-in. 6/14/1933 Moonstruck Bert Lown Orchestra ; Ted Holt Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-76452 10-in. 6/14/1933 Learn to croon Bert Lown Orchestra ; Ted Holt Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-76468 10-in. 6/15/1933 Learn to croon Maurice Cross ; Don Bestor Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-76471 10-in. 6/15/1933 Moonstruck Maurice Cross ; Don Bestor Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-76674 10-in. 7/20/1933 Down the old ox road Al Dary ; Peggy Healy ; Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet lyricist  
Victor BS-77077 10-in. 10/25/1933 Buckin' the wind Parker Gibbs ; Ted Weems Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-77202 10-in. 12/5/1933 I guess it had to be that way Red Ingle ; Ted Weems Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-77679 10-in. 9/15/1933 Thanks Hotel Montclair Orchestra ; Larry Murphy ; Bill Scotti Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-77680 10-in. 9/15/1933 The day you came along Hotel Montclair Orchestra ; Tom Low ; Bill Scotti Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-78068 10-in. 10/3/1933 The day you came along Leo Reisman Orchestra ; Frank Luther Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-78069 10-in. 10/3/1933 Thanks Leo Reisman Orchestra ; Frank Luther Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BS-78091 10-in. 10/5/1933 The day you came along Conrad Thibault Baritone vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble songwriter  
Victor PBS-79155 10-in. 4/12/1934 Ebony rhapsody Ivie Anderson ; Duke Ellington Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo songwriter  
Victor PBS-79156 10-in. 4/12/1934 Cocktails for two Duke Ellington Orchestra Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Victor PBS-79157 10-in. 4/12/1934 Live and love tonight Duke Ellington Orchestra Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Victor PBS-79169 10-in. 4/17/1934 I met my Waterloo Duke Ellington Orchestra Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Victor PBS-79181 10-in. 4/23/1934 My old flame Duke Ellington Orchestra ; Mae West Dubbed recording from film : Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band songwriter  
Victor PCS-79194 12-in. 5/31/1934 Murder at the Vanities Instrumental ensemble (unidentified; Victor Records) Promotional recording : Female and male vocal solos, jazz/dance band, and orchestra, with announcements songwriter  
Victor PBS-79211 10-in. 5/9/1934 Troubled waters Ivie Anderson ; Duke Ellington Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo songwriter  
Victor PBS-79212 10-in. 5/9/1934 My old flame Ivie Anderson ; Duke Ellington Orchestra Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band songwriter  
Victor PCS-79321 12-in. 9/30/1934 Troubled waters Duke Ellington Orchestra ; Mae West Promotional recording : Female vocal solo, with orchestra; with jazz/dance band, and announcer songwriter  
(Results 76-100 of 431 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Coslow, Sam," accessed January 6, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104876.

Coslow, Sam. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104876.

"Coslow, Sam." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 6 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104876

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