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Will Marion Cook

William Mercer Cook (January 27, 1869 – July 19, 1944), better known as Will Marion Cook, was an American composer, violinist, and choral director. Cook was a student of Antonín Dvořák. In 1919 he took his New York Syncopated Orchestra (Southern Syncopated Orchestra) to England for a command performance for King George V of the United Kingdom, and tour. Cook is probably best known for his popular songs and landmark Broadway musicals, featuring African-American creators, producers, and casts, such as Clorindy, or The Origin of the Cake Walk (1898) and In Dahomey (1903). The latter toured for four years, including in the United Kingdom and United States.

Cook served as musical director of the George Walker-Bert Williams Company, working with the comedy partners on Clorindy, In Dahomey, and several other musical successes.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 27, 1869 (Washington, D.C.), Died July 20, 1944 (New York City)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1899 - 1941

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist, arranger, leader

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

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 73 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-9687 10-in. 12/6/1910 Whoop 'er up Billy Murray Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-9960 10-in. 2/17/1911 Lovie Joe Elizabeth Brice Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-10844 10-in. 7/31/1911 Down de Lovers' Lane Peerless Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-12860 12-in. 1/30/1913 New Orleans Minstrels, no. 27 Victor Minstrel Company Minstrels, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-15265 10-in. 10/8/1914 Exhortation Reed Miller Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-15504 10-in. 12/15/1914 Swing along Victor Male Chorus Male vocal chorus, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-16474 10-in. 9/13/1915 Swing along Imperial Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied composer, lyricist  
Victor B-16752 10-in. 11/5/1915 Swing along Orpheus Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor BVE-37387 10-in. 2/1/1927 Swing along Henry Burr Octet Male vocal octet, with piano composer, lyricist  
Victor BVE-38135 10-in. 3/3/1927 I'm coming, Virginia Paul Whiteman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal chorus lyricist  
Victor BVE-38414 10-in. 3/30/1927 Down de lover's lane Paul Robeson Bass vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor BVE-39226 10-in. 6/7/1927 I'm coming Virginia Eddie Peabody Banjo solo, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor CVE-49096 12-in. 1/28/1929 Minstrel show of 1929 Victor Minstrels Minstrels, with orchestra composer  
Victor BVE-50570 10-in. 3/29/1929 Sweetie dear Jules Verne Allen Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) lyricist  
Victor PBS-061632 10-in. 9/11/1941 I'm coming, Virginia Charlie Barnet Orchestra ; Ford Leary Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and mixed vocal ensemble composer  
Victor BVE-Test-186 10-in. 7/11/1929 Jump back, honey Show Boat Four Vocal quartet, with piano composer, lyricist  
Victor [Trial 1915-03-02-02] Not documented 3/2/1915 Swing along Metropolitan Grand Quartet Vocal quartet, with piano composer, lyricist  
Victor [Trial 1928-05-10-01] 10-in. 5/10/1928 I'm coming, Virginia Bee Palmer Female vocal solo lyricist  
Columbia 947 7-in. ca. 1902-Oct. 1905 My little Gypsy maid J. W. Myers Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 947 10-in. ca. 1902 My little Gypsy maid J. W. Myers Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 1028 7-in. ca. 1902 On Emancipation Day Len Spencer Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 1028 10-in. approximately 1902 On Emancipation Day Len Spencer Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Columbia 1712 10-in. ca. 1903 My little Irish canary Edward M. Favor Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Columbia 4946 10-in. 10/12/1910 Whoop 'er up (with a whoop, la la) Ada Jones Female vocal solo, with organ composer  
Columbia 4997 10-in. approximately 1910 Lovie Joe Arthur Collins Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
(Results 26-50 of 73 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Cook, Will Marion," accessed April 23, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106040.

Cook, Will Marion. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 23, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106040.

"Cook, Will Marion." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 23 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106040

External Sources

Wikipedia: Will Marion Cook

Discogs: Will Marion Cook

Grove: Will Marion Cook

IMSLP: Will Marion Cook

IMDb: Will Marion Cook

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: Cook, Will Marion - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88663576

Wikidata: Will Marion Cook - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q739583

VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/39645389

MusicBrainz: Will Marion Cook - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/1c34168d-4282-46a9-aec4-8b62d8823e7e

FAST: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/237523

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