Ben Ryan
Bennett A. "Ben" Ryan (March 30, 1892 – July 5, 1968), more commonly known by his stage name "Beethoven Ben", was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics to the popular song "(The Gang that Sang) Heart of My Heart". He also wrote or co-wrote many other popular songs including "Inka Dinka Doo", "M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I", "No Nothing", "The Thrill of a New Romance", "When Frances Dances with Me", and "When I Send You a Picture of Berlin" Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Ryan was also a vaudeville performer, film actor and screen writer. Between 1914–1925, he teamed with Harriet Lee as the "Ryan & Lee" duo's comedy and singing-and-dancing vaudeville acts, including the hit "Won and One is Two". Following a lengthy illness, on July 5, 1968, he died at his home in Leonia, New Jersey. |
Birth and Death Data: Died July 5, 1968
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1917 - 1947
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, songwriter, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 56 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | B-20460 | 10-in. | 7/30/1917 | M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i | Frances White | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-21939 | 10-in. | 5/29/1918 | When I send you a picture of Berlin (You'll know it's over 'over there,' I'm coming home) | Arthur Fields ; Peerless Quartet | Male vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with orchestra | songwriter | |
| Victor | B-25519 | 10-in. | 8/17/1921 | When Francis dances with me | Ada Jones ; Billy Murray | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-27707 | 10-in. | 3/22/1923 | For crying out loud | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-53459 | 10-in. | 6/6/1929 | When we get together in the moonlight | Belle Mann ; Nathaniel Shilkret ; Victor Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-56186 | 10-in. | 10/16/1929 | Melancholy | Johnny Marvin | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-57136 | 10-in. | 11/5/1929 | Melancholy | Horace Heidt Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-78568 | 10-in. | 11/22/1933 | Inka dinka doo | Hotel McAlpin Orchestra ; Sam Robbins | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Victor | BVE-81100 | 10-in. | 12/26/1933 | Inka dinka doo | The Chanters ; Don Bestor Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal chorus | lyricist | |
| Victor | BAVE-86662 | 10-in. | 10/3/1934 | Inka-dinka-doo | Orquesta Típica Victor | Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-035373 | 10-in. | 3/29/1939 | A ruble a rhumba | Elisse Cooper ; Eddie De Lange Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and vocal ensemble | lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-035737 | 10-in. | 4/11/1939 | A ruble a rhumba | Jimmy Brown ; Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye ; The Three Barons | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal trio | lyricist | |
| Victor | PBS-042290 | 10-in. | 12/11/1939 | One cigarette for two | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Eddie Stone | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-044642 | 10-in. | 1/19/1940 | One cigarette for two | Wayne King Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-053244 | 10-in. | 7/26/1940 | Love tales | Carl Ravazza Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| Victor | D5VB-1126 | 10-in. | 9/14/1945 | The gang that sang heart of my heart | Ginger Snaps ; James Mundy | Mixed vocal quartet, with jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Victor | D7VB-1633 | 10-in. | 9/22/1947 | The gang that sang heart of my heart | Three Suns | Vocal group, with instrumental trio | composer | |
| Columbia | 47433 | 10-in. | 3/17/1917 | M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i | Anna Wheaton | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | 77833 | 10-in. | 5/18/1918 | When I send you a picture of Berlin | Arthur Fields ; Peerless Quartet | Male vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with orchestra | songwriter | |
| Columbia | 78179 | 10-in. | 11/19/1918 | Jim, Jim, I always knew that you'd win | Arthur Fields | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | 79741 | 10-in. | 2/28/1921 | Vamping Rose | Tod Weinhold | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | 80024 | 10-in. | 10/13/1921 | I hold her hand and she holds mine | Al Herman | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | 80078 | 10-in. | 11/25/1921 | When Francis dances with me | Frank Crumit | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | 80276 | 10-in. | 4/5/1922 | Down on Avenue A | Frank Crumit | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | 148372 | 10-in. | 4/23/1929 | That's living | Harry Barth's Mississippians ; Robert Wood | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Ryan, Ben," accessed January 10, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108859.
Ryan, Ben. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 10, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108859.
"Ryan, Ben." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 10 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Ryan, Ben, 1892-1968 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no89014245
Wikidata: Ben Ryan - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4886400
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/63564289
MusicBrainz: Ben Ryan - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/054b296b-d5b0-43e5-86e6-4c4cb91531ce
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