Tom Lemonier
Tom Lemonier (March 29, 1870 — March 14, 1945) was an actor and composer of popular music during the ragtime era, particularly active in Black Vaudeville. His work featured in various musicals. Some of his work was published by the Gotham-Attucks Music Publishing Company. Numerous recordings of his songs were made including on Victor Records and Columbia Records. In 1909 he joined the staff of music publisher Rose & Snyder. Lemonier became one of the first African-American actors to perform in a Caucasian play when in 1910 he was hired to play a steward in William A. Brady's production of Over Night. Previously these characters had been performed in blackface. Lemonier's abilities and the positive reception he received convinced Brady to hire additional African-American actors for the role in touring versions of the show. Playbill notes him as a performer in the 1912 musical Little Miss Brown. In addition to the original production, he was part of a national tour of this show. In 1915 Lemonier wrote the anthem, entitled Praise God We Are Not Weary, for the National Half Century Exposition and Lincoln Jubilee. Lemonier collaborated with various other musicians and lyricists to produce compositions. In 1917, Lemonier established a sheet music business with Lew Payton and Tom Brown. He appeared on radio station WGY in 1923 as a whistler. In 1926 he was concentrating entirely on sacred music. |
Birth and Death Data: Born (New York City (most populous city in the United States)), Died March 14, 1945 (Chicago (city and county seat of Cook County, and largest city in State of Illinois, United States of America) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1901 - 1928
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 28 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]995 | 7-in. | 10/11/1901 | Junie | George Walker | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]995 | 10-in. | 10/11/1901 | Junie | George Walker | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]996 | 7-in. | 10/11/1901 | Good afternoon, Mr. Jenkins | George Walker | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]996 | 10-in. | 10/11/1901 | Good afternoon, Mr. Jenkins | George Walker | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]3613 | 10-in. | 10/11/1901 | Junie | George Walker | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | B-885 | 10-in. | 1/7/1904 | Mary Ellen | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | A-885 | 7-in. | 1/7/1904 | Mary Ellen | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | A-893 | 7-in. | 1/11/1904 | I'm just barely livin', dat's all | Bob Roberts | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | B-893 | 10-in. | 1/11/1904 | I'm just barely livin', dat's all | Bob Roberts | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | A-1079 | 7-in. | 3/7/1904 | I wonder what makes it snow | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-1079 | 10-in. | 3/7/1904 | I wonder what makes it snow | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | C-3467 | 12-in. | 6/14/1906 | Just one word of consolation | Harry Tally | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-6467 | 10-in. | 9/25/1908 | Play that rag | Collins and Harlan | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-6468 | 10-in. | 9/25/1908 | Honey Lou | Collins and Harlan | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-8726 | 10-in. | 3/21/1910 | Dear old moonlight | Peerless Quartet | Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied | composer | |
| Victor | B-9556 | 10-in. | 10/12/1910 | Sweetness | Peerless Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-11904 | 10-in. | 4/23/1912 | Adopted child | Bob Roberts | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia | 1660 | 7-in. | between 1903 and October 1905 | Mary Ellen | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia | 1660 | 10-in. | approximately 1903 | Mary Ellen | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia | 1768 | 10-in. | 5/31/1904 | I'm just barely living, dat's all | Bob Roberts | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia | 3332 | 10-in. | between 1905 and February 1906 | Is everybody happy? | Arthur Collins | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia | 3956 | 10-in. | between January and November 1908 | Honey Lou | Collins and Harlan | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia | 4003 | 10-in. | between January and May 1909 | That was me | Bob Roberts | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia | 4923 | 10-in. | approximately 1910 | Sweetness | Columbia Quartette | Male vocal quartet | composer | |
| Columbia | 19409 | 10-in. | 6/15/1911 | Just one word of consolation | Will Oakland | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Lemonier, Tom," accessed January 7, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111238.
Lemonier, Tom. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111238.
"Lemonier, Tom." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 7 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Lemonier, Tom, 1870-1945 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no98131073
Wikidata: Tom Lemonier - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q108913726
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