William A. Dillon
William Austin Dillon (November 6, 1877 – February 10, 1966) was an American songwriter and Vaudevillian. He is best known as the lyricist for the song "I Want A Girl (Just Like The Girl That Married Dear Old Dad)" (1911), written in collaboration with Harry Von Tilzer., which can be heard in Show Business (1944) and The Jolson Story (1946). Dillon was born in Cortland, New York and performed in vaudeville with his brothers John and Harry, as well as with own act, billed as the "man of a thousand songs". Dillon married in 1918 to Georgia Leola Head, daughter of George and Mary (Steen) Head. He quit the vaudeville stage around 1912 after injuries suffered in a car accident, but remained active in the entertainment world as a songwriter andtheater operator. Dillon eventually returned to performing for troops in World War II and made television appearances. He died in Ithaca, New York on February 10, 1966. |
Birth and Death Data: Died February 10, 1966
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1907 - 1949
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, 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 52 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | B-4455 | 10-in. | 5/1/1907 | Every little bit, added to what you've got, makes just a little bit more | Arthur Collins | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-6674 | 10-in. | 12/17/1908 | Bonnie, my Highland queen | Elise Stevenson | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | B-9783 | 10-in. | 1/11/1911 | When Mariola do the Cubanola | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-10171 | 10-in. | 4/11/1911 | All alone | Ada Jones ; Billy Murray | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-10172 | 10-in. | 4/11/1911 | It's got to be someone I love | Ada Jones | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-10822 | 10-in. | 7/21/1911 | I want a girl just like the girl that married dear old Dad | Walter Van Brunt | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-10839 | 10-in. | 7/27/1911 | I want a girl just like the girl that married dear old Dad | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-11523 | 10-in. | 1/29/1912 | Don't leave me now | Collins and Harlan | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-12167 | 10-in. | 7/8/1912 | Take me to the cabaret | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | B-15811 | 10-in. | 3/18/1915 | Don't take my darling boy away | Peerless Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-16073 | 10-in. | 6/4/1915 | My little girl | Henry Burr ; Albert Campbell | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-17605 | 10-in. | 5/3/1916 | My grandfather's girl | Jane Kenyon [i.e., Elizabeth Wheeler] | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | B-17781 | 10-in. | 6/2/1916 | Do what your mother did (I'll do the same as your dad) | Sterling Trio | Male vocal trio, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-18328 | 10-in. | 9/7/1916 | I'll wed the girl I left behind | John H. Meyer ; M. J. O'Connell | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | C-18375 | 12-in. | 9/15/1916 | Witmark medley one-step | Victor Military Band | Band | composer | |
| Victor | B-18522 | 10-in. | 10/3/1916 | Take me to my Alabam' | Peerless Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-18567 | 10-in. | 10/20/1916 | I'll wed the girl I left behind | M. J. O'Connell | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | B-19166 | 10-in. | 2/12/1917 | That girl of mine | Sterling Trio | Male vocal trio, with orchestra | songwriter | |
| Victor | CVE-36749 | 12-in. | 11/1/1926 | The end of the road | Harry Lauder | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-41962 | 10-in. | 2/24/1928 | Little girl, you know I love you | Watkins Band | Vocal and instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-067624 | 10-in. | 8/7/1941 | I want a girl (Just like the girl that married dear old Dad) | Eton Boys ; Claude Garreau | Male vocal quartet, with piano | lyricist | |
| Victor | D5AB-0228 | 10-in. | 4/24/1945 | My little girl | Harry Cool ; New Music [Shep Fields] | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Victor | D7VB-2065 | 10-in. | 11/13/1947 | I want a girl (just like the girl that married dear old dad) | Don Cornell ; Glee Club (Kaye) ; Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye | Male vocal solo, with vocal group and jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
| Victor | D9VB-1233 | 10-in. | 4/1/1949 | I want a girl (just like the girl that married dear old Dad) | Main Street String Band | String band, with vocal ensemble | lyricist | |
| Columbia | 3678 | 10-in. | between January and August 1907 | Ev'ry little bit, added to what you've got makes just a little bit more | Collins and Harlan | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Dillon, William A.," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106538.
Dillon, William A.. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106538.
"Dillon, William A.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Dillon, William A., 1877-1966 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n92049592
Wikidata: William Dillon - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q8007844
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/43495475
MusicBrainz: William Dillon - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/305ace74-1da3-48d1-bccc-7895e6f986b0
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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