Walter Donaldson

Walter Donaldson (February 15, 1893 – July 15, 1947) was a prolific American popular songwriter and publishing company founder, composing many hit songs of the 1910s to 1940s, that have become standards and form part of the Great American Songbook.

Birth and Death Data: Born Manhattan () , Died July 15, 1947 (Santa Monica (beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1915 - 1955

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist, songwriter

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

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 1480 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-16034 10-in. 5/18/1915 We'll have a jubilee in my old Kentucky home Peerless Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-16223 10-in. 7/16/1915 Back home in Tennessee Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-16513 12-in. 9/20/1915 Araby Conway's Band Band composer  
Victor B-16702 10-in. 10/21/1915 You'd never know that old home town of mine Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-16703 10-in. 10/21/1915 At the old plantation ball Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-16864 12-in. 12/7/1915 You'd never know that old home town of mine Victor Military Band Band composer  
Victor B-17426 10-in. 4/3/1916 Oh, Joe, with your fiddle and bow, you stole my heart away Peerless Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra composer  
Victor C-17433 12-in. 4/4/1916 Down where the Swanee River flows Victor Military Band Band composer  
Victor B-17598 10-in. 5/3/1916 In the beautiful seaside air Billy Murray Male vocal solo, with male vocal chorus and orchestra composer  
Victor C-18049 12-in. 7/5/1916 In the beautiful seaside air Conway's Band Band, with xylophone composer  
Victor B-18132 10-in. 7/19/1916 Come on to Nashville, Tennessee Collins and Harlan Male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-19320 10-in. 2/28/1917 I've got the sweetest girl in Maryland American Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-19888 10-in. 5/24/1917 Suki San Louis J. Winsch Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-20033 10-in. 6/12/1917 When he's all dolled up he's the best dressed rube in town Byron G. Harlan Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-20453 10-in. 7/25/1917 I've got the nicest little home in D-I-X-I-E American Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra composer, lyricist  
Victor B-21060 10-in. 11/6/1917 Yock-a-hilo Town Peerless Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-22370 10-in. 1/30/1919 How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm (After they've seen Paree) Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra Jazz/dance band composer  
Victor B-22601 10-in. 2/26/1919 Don't cry, Frenchy, don't cry Charles Hart ; Elliott Shaw Male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-22605 10-in. 2/27/1919 How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm? Arthur Fields Male vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-22672 10-in. 4/7/1919 When the bees make honey (Down in sunny Alabam') Irving Kaufman ; Jack Kaufman Male vocal duet, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-22802 10-in. 4/23/1919 When you see another sweetie hanging around (That's the time you'll want to come back to me) Adele Rowland Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-23046 10-in. 7/3/1919 When the preacher makes you mine Adele Rowland Female vocal solo, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-23308 10-in. 10/22/1919 All the Quakers are shoulder shakers All Star Trio Instrumental trio composer  
Victor B-23453 10-in. 11/4/1919 Bless my Swanee River home Peerless Quartet Male vocal quartet, with orchestra composer  
Victor B-23555 10-in. 12/26/1919 You're a million miles from nowhere Charles Harrison Male vocal solo, with violin and orchestra composer  
(Results 1-25 of 1480 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Donaldson, Walter," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106121.

Donaldson, Walter. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106121.

"Donaldson, Walter." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106121

External Sources

Wikipedia: Walter Donaldson

Discogs: Walter Donaldson

Allmusic: Walter Donaldson

Grove: Walter Donaldson

IMSLP: Walter Donaldson

RILM: Walter Donaldson

RISM: Walter Donaldson

IMDb: Walter Donaldson

Britannica: Walter Donaldson

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: Donaldson, Walter, 1893-1947 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n89633370

Wikidata: Walter Donaldson - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q169341

VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/79166510

MusicBrainz: Walter Donaldson - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0a2824a1-660d-42c9-9043-657f182533b3

Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/251974 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/251974

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

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