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Henry M. Katzman

Henry Manners Katzman (March 2, 1912 – May 11, 2001) was an American musician, composer, painter, and one of the founders of Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI).

The son of bandleader Louis Katzman, he grew up in New York City in a musical household and quickly took to the piano as his instrument of choice. He was one of the founders of BMI, which was established as an alternative to ASCAP, the leading music publisher of the day. ASCAP had focused solely on big band music and refused to publish works in such categories as blues, country, jazz, and folk. BMI's creation allowed for the expansion of American music, and helped pave the way for the eventual rise of rock, soul, and country music.

In March 1940, BMI issued their very first contract, which was for "We Could Make Such Beautiful Music Together", with music composed by Katzman and lyrics by Robert Sour. Although this was the first song published by BMI, it has been frequently covered by a wide variety of artists, including vintage recordings by Barbara Lea, Judy Garland, and Liza Minnelli, and more recent recordings by Phil Woods and Bebo Valdés. Katzman composed over 65 other popular works, including "Delilah", "Starlight Sonata" (famously covered by a young Frank Sinatra), "Keep An Eye On Your Heart", "Mabel Mabel" (covered by Nat King Cole), and "Braggin'" (covered by Bob Dylan). He also composed soundtrack music, including "Thumper Song" and "Twitterpated" for the original Bambi animated film.

As a pianist, he played with George Gershwin and accompanied Irène Bordoni, Fred Allen, and Jan Peerce. He also volunteered with the Veterans Bedside Network, and was a long-time member of the Radio Pioneers.

Birth and Death Data: Born March 2, 1912, Died May 11, 2001

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1946

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer

Notes: Sometimes appears as Henry Manners.

= 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 BS-058256 10-in. 12/12/1940 Keep an eye on your heart Chet Bruce ; Gray Gordon ; Tic-Toc Rhythm Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-059286 10-in. 3/5/1941 We could make such beautiful music Wayne King Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with vocal composer  
Victor BS-060382 10-in. 1/28/1941 Keep an eye on your heart Joe Reichman Orchestra ; Marion Shaw Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-063706 10-in. 4/2/1941 Braggin' Tony Pastor Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-064669 10-in. 8/5/1941 Delilah Art Jarrett Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo composer  
Victor BS-067628 10-in. 8/11/1941 Delilah Tex Beneke ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and male vocal quartet composer  
Victor BS-067755 10-in. 9/5/1941 Delilah Dick Todd Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band composer  
Victor D6VB-2713 10-in. 8/30/1946 We could make such beautiful music Betty Norton ; Vaughn Monroe's Orchestra Female-male vocal duet, with jazz/dance band composer  
Brunswick E31482 10-in. Nov. 1929 Sweetheart of the tropical sea Eddy Shaw's Hawaiians Instrumental ensemble, with vocal quartet composer  
Brunswick E31197-E31198 10-in. Oct. 1929 Sweetheart of the tropical sea Eddy Shaw's Hawaiians Jazz/dance band, with vocal; without vocal (take G) composer  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Katzman, Henry M.," accessed April 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/114556.

Katzman, Henry M.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/114556.

"Katzman, Henry M.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/114556

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