Herbert Reynolds

Michael Elder Rourke (14 July 1867 – 26 August 1933), who assumed the pen name Herbert Reynolds in 1913, was an Irish-American lyricist.

Reynolds wrote the lyrics to Jerome Kern's first big hit, "They Didn't Believe Me", interpolated into the 1914 American version of The Girl from Utah, produced by Charles Frohman. The show had a successful run of 140 performances at the Knickerbocker Theatre, opening on August 14, 1914. Frohman had hired the young Kern to write five new songs for the score together with Reynolds to strengthen what he felt was a weak first act. Julia Sanderson and Donald Brian starred in the production.

He shared the lyric writing with P. G. Wodehouse in Miss Springtime (1916), with additional music by Kern.

Reynolds went on to collaborate with Kern and several other lyricists in the Broadway musical Very Good Eddie with a book by Guy Bolton and Philip Bartholomae, and again in Rock-a-Bye Baby (1918).

Birth and Death Data: Born 1867, Died 1933

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1914 - 1947

Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, songwriter

Notes: M. E. Rourke changed his name to Herbert Reynolds in 1913.

See Also: Rourke, M. E.

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

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor C-15183 12-in. 9/11/1914 Gems from The girl from Utah Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-16055 12-in. 5/27/1915 Gems from Nobody home Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-16462 12-in. 9/8/1915 They didn't believe me Alice Green ; Harry Macdonough Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-16463 10-in. 9/8/1915 Auf Wiedersehn Alice Green ; Harry Macdonough Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-17126 12-in. 2/7/1916 Gems from Very good Eddie Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-18531 12-in. 10/5/1916 Gems from Little Miss Springtime Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-19308 12-in. 2/23/1917 Gems from Love o' Mike Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-19520 12-in. 3/27/1917 Auf Wiedersehn! Julia Culp Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-19541 10-in. 4/2/1917 If I find the girl Stewart Jackson Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-19604 10-in. 4/18/1917 If I find the girl Henry Burr Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-21998 12-in. 6/21/1918 Gems from Rock-a-bye baby Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor BVE-36352 10-in. 9/24/1926 Half a moon (Is better than no moon) Johnny Marvin ; Nathaniel Shilkret ; Victor Orchestra Orchestra, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor PBS-90262 10-in. 6/12/1935 Auf Wiedersehen Nelson Eddy ; Nat Shilkret Orchestra Baritone vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor PBS-061960 10-in. 12/8/1941 They didn't believe me Nan Wynn Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor PD6VB-2335 10-in. 6/11/1946 Auf Wiedersehn! Russ Case ; Donald Dame ; Russ Case Orchestra Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor D7VB-0495 10-in. 4/10/1947 They didn't believe me Beryl Davis ; Toots Camarata Orchestra Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor D7VB-2210 10-in. 11/19/1947 They didn't believe me Johnny Bradford ; Russ Case Orchestra Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band lyricist  
Columbia 45962 10-in. 8/23/1915 Auf Wiedersehn Grace Kerns ; Hardy Williamson Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 46435 10-in. 2/18/1916 On the shore at Le Lei Wi Grace Kerns ; Reed Miller Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 46649 10-in. 3/18/1916 They didn't believe me Grace Kerns ; Reed Miller Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 47091 10-in. 10/19/1916 Throw me a rose Reed Miller Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia W142558 10-in. 8/23/1926 Half a moon Johnny Marvin Male vocal solo, with ukulele songwriter  
Columbia W142941 10-in. 11/17/1926 Half a moon The Knickerbockers ; Johnny Marvin Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Columbia 143279 10-in. 1/10/1927 Half a moon Astorites ; Tom Martin Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
OKeh 677 10-in. ca. May 1919 Arabian nights Shamrock Trio Vocal trio, with orchestra lyricist  
OKeh 80150 10-in. 10/1/1926 Half a moon is better than no moon Araby Gardens Orchestra Jazz/dance band songwriter  
Brunswick E20203-E20204 10-in. 9/18/1926 Half a moon (Is better than no moon) Ray Perkins Male vocal solo, with piano songwriter  
Brunswick E20235-E20236 10-in. 9/23/1926 Half a moon (Is better than no moon) Ray Perkins Male vocal solo, with piano songwriter  
Brunswick E20324-E20325 10-in. 10/2/1926 Half a moon (Is better than no moon) Ray Perkins Male vocal solo, with piano songwriter  
Brunswick E20850-E20852 10-in. 12/1/1926 Half a moon (Is better than no moon) Ben Bernie ; Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Brunswick E30712-E30713 10-in. 8/27/1929 They didn‘t believe me Five Pennies ; Red Nichols Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo; without vocal (take G) lyricist  
Edison 4117 10-in. 9/15/1915 Auf Wiedersehn Helen Clark ; Reed Miller Female-male vocal duet and mixed vocal trio, with orchestra lyricist  
Edison 4123 10-in. 9/16/1915 They didn't believe me Gladys Rice ; Walter Van Brunt Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with orchestra lyricist  
Edison 4124 10-in. 9/17/1915 Waltz of the season George Wilton Ballard ; Frederick J. Wheeler Vocal duet (tenor and baritone) and vocal ensemble, with orchestra lyricist  
Edison 4196 10-in. 10/15/1915 Auf wiedersehn Burton Lenihan ; Gladys Rice Vocal duet (soprano and tenor) and mixed vocal trio, with orchestra lyricist  
Edison 5056 10-in. 10/10/1916 A little bid for sympathy Gladys Rice ; Walter Van Brunt Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Edison 5057 10-in. 10/10/1916 In the garden of romance Gladys Rice ; Frederick J. Wheeler Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Edison 11220 10-in. 9/27/1926 Half a moon (Is better than no moon) Johnny Marvin Male vocal solo, with ukulele songwriter  
Gramophone 0B1124 10-in. 10/1/1931 They didn't believe me Ambrose Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and female vocal trio lyricist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Reynolds, Herbert," accessed March 31, 2023, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112132.

Reynolds, Herbert. (2023). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 31, 2023, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112132.

"Reynolds, Herbert." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2023. Web. 31 March 2023.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112132

External Sources

Wikipedia: Herbert Reynolds (lyricist)

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: Reynolds, Herbert, 1867-1933 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2003039770

Wikidata: Herbert Reynolds (lyricist) - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5735372

VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/21829920

MusicBrainz: Herbert Reynolds - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/bc3aa5cf-c3a9-46ae-bde9-e3ba9ec58a99

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

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