Arthur Swanstrom

Arthur M. Swanstrom (August 4, 1888 – October 4, 1940) was an American lyricist, playwright, producer, and dancer. The son of politician J. Edward Swanstrom, he began his career as a ballroom dancer, primarily performing in that capacity in nightclubs and in vaudeville. He expanded into working as a lyricist, initially working in partnership with John Murray Anderson as the lyricist for the revue The Greenwich Village Follies from 1919 to 1921. He became active as a Tin Pan Alley songwriter, writing lyrics for popular songs. Some of his hit songs included "Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me" (1919), "The Argentines, The Portuguese, and the Greeks" (1920), "Broadway Blues" (1920), "Rain" (1927), and "Twenty-Four Hours A Day" (1935). Many of his songs were written in collaboration with Carey Morgan, although he worked with several other composers during his career. He was both producer and lyricist for the Broadway productions of Sons O' Guns (1929) and Princess Charming (1930), and authored both the lyrics and book to the Broadway musical Sea Legs (1937). Ill health and financial problems plagued Swanstrom in the last years of his life, and he died of a stroke in 1940 at the age of 52.

Birth and Death Data: Born (Brooklyn (borough of New York City, New York, United States)), Died 1940 (Scarsdale (town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, suburb of NYC) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1919 - 1940

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 49 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-23000 10-in. 6/11/1919 Blues (My naughty sweetie gives to me) Marion Harris Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-23173 10-in. 9/26/1919 Blues (My naughty sweetie gives to me) Esther Walker Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-24371 10-in. 8/10/1920 The Broadway blues Aileen Stanley Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-27660 10-in. 3/19/1923 The Argentines, the Portuguese, and the Greeks Duncan Sisters Female vocal duet, with ukuleles lyricist  
Victor BVE-57537 10-in. 11/12/1929 Why? Arden-Ohman Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BVE-57538 10-in. 11/12/1929 It's you I love Arden-Ohman Orchestra ; Frank Luther Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo songwriter  
Victor BVE-57981 10-in. 1/7/1930 It's you I love Olga Albani Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor BVE-58122 10-in. 12/19/1929 Cross your fingers Burt Lorin ; Nathaniel Shilkret ; Victor Orchestra Orchestra, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BVE-58504 10-in. 1/17/1930 Red hot and blue rhythm High Hatters ; Leonard W. Joy ; Johnny Marvin Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BVE-63164 10-in. 10/22/1930 I'll never leave you Bernie Cummins ; Frank Munn ; New Yorker Hotel Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-77499 10-in. 8/16/1933 Come up and see me sometime Ramona Female vocal solo, with piano lyricist  
Victor BS-84233 10-in. 9/7/1934 You ought to be arrested (For breaking my heart) June Joy ; Sam Robbins Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-91895 10-in. 10/11/1935 Twenty-four hours a day Fritz Heilbron ; Jan Garber Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-98122 10-in. 11/15/1935 Twenty-four hours a day Dolly Dawn and her Dawn Patrol Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-010175 10-in. 5/14/1937 Ten o'clock town Buddy Clark ; Eddy Duchin Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-011858 10-in. 8/2/1937 Touched in the head Dixieland Swingsters Jazz/dance band, with vocal lyricist  
Victor BS-026974 10-in. 9/26/1938 The widow's daughter Dixieland Swingsters ; Dave Durham Jazz/dance band, with vocal lyricist  
Victor BS-043991 10-in. 12/11/1939 Night after night after you Charlie Barnet Orchestra ; Mary Ann McCall Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo lyricist  
Victor BS-045716 10-in. 12/5/1939 As 'round and 'round we go Kaydets ; Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye Jazz/dance band, with vocal trio lyricist  
Victor BS-057799 10-in. 11/27/1940 The cowboy isn't speaking to his horse Texas Jim Robertson Male vocal solo, with string band songwriter  
Columbia 78624 10-in. 9/5/1919 Blues (My naughty sweetie gave me) Ted Lewis Jazz Band Jazz/dance band composer  
Columbia 79337 10-in. 7/10/1920 The Argentines, the Portuguese and the Greeks Nora Bayes Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 79389 10-in. 8/26/1920 The Broadway blues Nora Bayes Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 79443 10-in. 10/1/1920 I'm a jazz vampire Marion Harris Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 79725 10-in. 2/11/1921 Funeral blues Blossom Seeley Female vocal solo, with organ and orchestra songwriter  
(Results 1-25 of 49 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Swanstrom, Arthur," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110332.

Swanstrom, Arthur. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110332.

"Swanstrom, Arthur." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110332

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.