Ballard MacDonald

Ballard MacDonald (October 15, 1882 – November 17, 1935) was an American lyricist, who was one of the writers of Tin Pan Alley.

Born in Portland, Oregon, he was a charter member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP).

MacDonald wrote lyrics for a song called "Play That Barber-Shop Chord" in 1910, which became a hit with revised lyrics when it was sung in The Ziegfeld Follies by vaudeville star Bert Williams. He subsequently worked with composer Harry Carroll on "On the Mississippi" (1912) and "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine" (1912, based on the million-selling novel). He also partnered with James F. Hanley, which produced the 1917 hit "(Back Home Again In) Indiana.

In the early '20s, MacDonald turned his attention to Broadway revues, which in 1924 brought him his most notable musical collaborator in George Gershwin. In 1926, MacDonald teamed up with Walter Donaldson to write songs for the Broadway show Sweetheart Time

Thumbs Up was MacDonald's final Broadway show. He died in Forest Hills, New York.

Birth and Death Data: Born 1882 (Portland), Died 1935 (Queens)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1910 - 1942

Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, songwriter, author, composer

Recordings (Results 76-100 of 266 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BVE-58612 10-in. 1/21/1930 I'm sailing on a sunbeam Pennsylvanians ; Fred Waring Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BVE-58623 10-in. 1/24/1930 A year from today James Melton Male vocal solo, with orchestra songwriter  
Victor CVE-59839 12-in. 3/19/1930 I'm following you Coca Cola Topnotchers Radio broadcast : Orchestra, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BRC-70910 10-in. 10/26/1931 Bend down, sister Leo Reisman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-82580 10-in. 6/1/1934 Breeze (Blow my baby back to me) Tom Berwick Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BVE-83817 10-in. 8/3/1934 Beautiful face have a heart! Dan Hornsby ; Perry Bechtel Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BVE-87761 10-in. 1/29/1935 Indiana KXYZ Novelty Band Jazz/dance band lyricist  
Victor BS-98457 10-in. 12/23/1935 Anything can happen Eddy Duchin Orchestra ; Lew Sherwood Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-02526 10-in. 10/11/1936 Breeze (Blow my baby back to me) Washboard Wonders ; Kenneth Wolfe Washboard band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-027942 10-in. 10/19/1938 Bend down sister Bob Ballin ; Rennie McEvoy Male vocal duet lyricist  
Victor BS-046433 10-in. 1/15/1940 Beautiful Ohio Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Victor BS-051231 10-in. 6/5/1940 Rose of Washington Square Anita Boyer ; Nathaniel Shilkret ; Victor Salon Orchestra Orchestra, with female vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-058246 10-in. 12/10/1940 Somebody loves me Dinah Shore Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band lyricist  
Victor BS-067934 10-in. 9/26/1941 Somebody loves me The Pied Pipers ; Tommy Dorsey Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with mixed vocal ensemble lyricist  
Victor BS-071760 10-in. 2/2/1942 Somebody loves me LEVINE (Henry) and his STRICTLY FROM DIXIE JAZZ BAND Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo lyricist  
Columbia 4562 10-in. ca. Jan.-Sept. 1910 I've got the time, I've got the place, but it's hard to find the girl Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 19257 10-in. 3/10/1911 The Mississippi dippy dip Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 38621 10-in. 2/7/1913 On the Mississippi Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 38672 10-in. 3/4/1913 The trail of the lonesome pine Henry Burr ; Albert Campbell Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 38675 10-in. 3/4/1913 Roll on, Missouri Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 38783 10-in. 4/14/1913 Mammy's fireside Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 38885 10-in. 5/27/1913 It takes a little rain with the sunshine to make the world go 'round Henry Burr ; Edgar Stoddard Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 38921 10-in. 6/24/1913 There's a girl in the heart of Maryland Henry Burr ; Edgar Stoddard Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 39154 10-in. 12/18/1913 Let's all go around to Mary Ann's Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 39379 10-in. 5/15/1914 Gone are the days Charles Harrison Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
(Results 76-100 of 266 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "MacDonald, Ballard," accessed March 5, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106626.

MacDonald, Ballard. (2021). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 5, 2021, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106626.

"MacDonald, Ballard." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2021. Web. 5 March 2021.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106626

External Sources

Wikipedia: Ballard MacDonald

Discogs: MacDonald, Ballard

Allmusic: MacDonald, Ballard

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: MacDonald, Ballard - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n92082998

Wikidata: Ballard MacDonald - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4353485

VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/34722957/

MusicBrainz: MacDonald, Ballard - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/ab00597c-43f1-41c4-98ee-6934dcd4179c

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