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 Brantford, Died April 1, 1958 (Gladstone)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1902 - 1950
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 426-450 of 522 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunswick | E37345 | 10-in. | 10/30/1931 | I want to dream by the old mill stream | Frank and James Mccravy | Male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
| Brunswick | E37374 | 10-in. | 11/24/1931 | Pagan moon | Abe Lyman's California Orchestra [Brunswick Studio Orchestra] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E3030-E3031 | 10-in. | 5/12/1926 | Blue bonnet, you make me feel blue | Tuxedo Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E3093-E3095 | 10-in. | 5/22/1926 | Her beaus are only rainbows | The Ambassadors | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E3777-E3778 | 10-in. | 9/16/1926 | Her beaus are only rainbows | Bessie Coldiron | Female vocal solo, with piano | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E3814-E3815 | 10-in. | 9/23/1926 | Her beaus are only rainbows | Bessie Coldiron | Female vocal solo, with piano | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E6429-E6431 | 10-in. | 9/9/1927 | Blue river | Jay’s Chelsea Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E16308-E16310 | 10-in. | 9/2/1925 | Brown eyes, why are you blue? | Carl Fenton’s Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E18103-E18105 | 10-in. | 2/25/1926 | Don’t be afraid to come home | Frank Bessinger | Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E18424-E18426 | 10-in. | 3/12/1926 | There’s a Blue Ridge in my heart, Virginia | Abe Lyman’s California Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Brunswick | E20386-E20388 | 10-in. | 10/13/1926 | Whisper—Sh! | Esther Walker | Female vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E21862-E21864 | 10-in. | 3/12/1927 | You went away too far and stayed away too long | Castilians | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E22598-E22600 | 10-in. | 4/22/1927 | Love is just a little bit of heaven | Prince Piotti | Male vocal solo, with piano | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E23252-E23254 | 10-in. | 5/19/1927 | Red lips—kiss my blues away | Clevelanders | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E23278-E23280 | 10-in. | 5/21/1927 | Room for two | Colonial Club Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E25186-E25189 | 10-in. | 11/11/1927 | Blue river | Al Jolson | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E25232-E25234 | 10-in. | 11/17/1927 | Fair co-ed | Six Jumping Jacks | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal trio; without vocal (take E25234) | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E26091-E26092 | 10-in. | 1/19/1928 | You taught me how to love you, now teach me how to forget | Buell Kazee | Male vocal solo, with violin, guitar, and whistling | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E26868-E26870 | 10-in. | 3/8/1928 | Japansy | Frank Munn ; Regent Club Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take E26870) | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E26970-E26972 | 10-in. | 3/14/1928 | In the sweet bye and bye | Anthony Galla-Rini | Accordion solo, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take E26972) | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E30609-E30610 | 10-in. | Aug. 1929 | My song of the Nile | Colonial Club Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E31170-E31171 | 10-in. | Oct. 1929 | Somebody mighty like you | Orquesta de Tom Clines | Jazz/dance band, with vocal; without vocal | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E31172-E31173 | 10-in. | Oct. 1929 | Miss Wonderful | Tom Clines and his Music | Jazz/dance band, with vocal; without vocal | lyricist | |
| Brunswick | E31203-E31204 | 10-in. | Oct. 1929 | (Things we want the most are) Hard to get | Herbert Gordon ; Hotel Ten Eyck Whispering Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) | songwriter | |
| Brunswick | E31205-E31206 | 10-in. | Oct. 1929 | You can’t believe my eyes | Herbert Gordon ; Hotel Ten Eyck Whispering Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo; without vocal (take G) | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bryan, Alfred," accessed December 12, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105828.
Bryan, Alfred. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 12, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105828.
"Bryan, Alfred." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 12 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Alfred Bryan
Discogs: Alfred Bryan
IMSLP: Alfred Bryan
RISM: Alfred Bryan
IMDb: Alfred Bryan
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Bryan, Alfred, 1871-1958 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88051265
Wikidata: Alfred Bryan - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1273339
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/42030305
MusicBrainz: Alfred Bryan - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/dce073f1-c582-49ef-8d20-fde7a3eb584b
Fast: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/238672 - http://id.worldcat.org/fast/238672
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