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 126-150 of 431 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | PCS-90133 | 12-in. | 3/31/1935 | He's a bad man | Mae West | Promotional recording : Female vocal solo, with orchestra and announcer. | songwriter | |
| Victor | PBS-90498 | 10-in. | approximately October 1935 | Down on the Isle of Oomph | Betty Burgess ; Leon Erroll | Female-male vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter | |
| Victor | PBS-90499 | 10-in. | approximately October 1935 | How do I rate with you? | Johnny Downs | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-95657 | 10-in. | 10/23/1935 | How do I rate with you | Eddy Duchin Orchestra ; Lew Sherwood | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-95658 | 10-in. | 10/23/1935 | You took my breath away | Eddy Duchin Orchestra ; Lew Sherwood | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | PBS-97883 | 10-in. | 10/8/1936 | Paradise in waltztime | William Merrigan Daly ; Gladys Swarthout | Mezzo-soprano vocal solo, with orchestra | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-98094 | 10-in. | 11/20/1935 | How do I rate with you? | California Ramblers ; Joan Hope | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-98119 | 10-in. | 11/15/1935 | You took my breath away | Dolly Dawn ; George Hall ; Hotel Taft Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | PB-97 | 10-in. | 3/2/1925 | I ain't got nobody to love | Glen Oswald Serenaders ; Glen Oswald | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Victor | BS-03083 | 10-in. | 11/24/1936 | Tea on the terrace | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra ; Edythe Wright | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | BS-06674 | 10-in. | 3/17/1937 | Turn off the moon | Jack Leonard ; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-06675 | 10-in. | 3/17/1937 | Jammin' | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra ; Edythe Wright | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | BS-06851 | 10-in. | 4/8/1937 | Turn off the moon | Clarence Williams’ Washboard Band ; William Cooley | Washboard band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | BS-06853 | 10-in. | 4/8/1937 | Jammin' | Clarence Williams’ Washboard Band ; William Cooley | Washboard band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | BS-07898 | 10-in. | 5/6/1937 | If I put my heart in my song | Jack Leonard ; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | PBS-09884 | 10-in. | 12/16/1937 | Every day's a holiday | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-010110 | 10-in. | 5/3/1937 | (Can't you hear that) Mountain music | Ozzie Nelson Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-010129 | 10-in. | 5/6/1937 | (Can't you hear that) Mountain music | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra ; Edythe Wright | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-010130 | 10-in. | 5/6/1937 | Good mornin' | Tommy Dorsey Orchestra ; Edythe Wright | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-011352 | 10-in. | 7/20/1937 | After you | Clambake Seven ; Tommy Dorsey ; Edythe Wright | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-011605 | 10-in. | 7/29/1937 | After you | Helen Crawford ; Jesse Crawford Orchestra ; Bob Murray | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-013578 | 10-in. | 9/21/1937 | I'd love to play a love scene (Opposite you) | Kassels-in-the-Air Orchestra | Jazz/dance band with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-013583 | 10-in. | 9/21/1937 | I want a new romance | Kassels-in-the-Air Orchestra ; Billy Leach | Jazz/dance band with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-014652 | 10-in. | 10/7/1937 | I'd love to play a love scene (Opposite you) | Bunny Berigan Orchestra ; Gail Reese | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-014653 | 10-in. | 10/7/1937 | I want a new romance | Bunny Berigan Orchestra ; Gail Reese | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | lyricist |
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
External Sources
Wikipedia: Sam Coslow
Discogs: Sam Coslow
Allmusic: Sam Coslow
Grove: Sam Coslow
IMDb: Sam Coslow
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Coslow, Sam, 1902-1982 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85085839
Wikidata: Sam Coslow - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q7407350
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/86468770
MusicBrainz: Sam Coslow - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/be84697f-d834-4ed7-9a00-16a129f6d1e3
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/164443 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/164443
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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