Jack Brooks
Jack Brooks (February 14, 1912 – November 8, 1971) was an English-American lyricist of popular songs who was nominated for the Academy Award in 1947, 1953 and 1954. Brooks was born in Liverpool. His family was Jewish and originally from Russia, having changed their surname to Brooks from Bruch. They immigrated to the United States in 1916, during the middle of World War I, when Jack was four. He wrote lyrics of many popular songs, including "Ole Buttermilk Sky" (with Hoagy Carmichael) "That's Amore" (with Harry Warren) and "(Roll Along) Wagon Train" (with Sammy Fain) the second theme music used on the television Western, Wagon Train. He joined the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1946. "Ole Buttermilk Sky" was written for the 1946 film Canyon Passage, and was sung by Carmichael in the movie. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and became a big hit for Kay Kyser that year. "That's Amore" first appeared in the 1953 film The Caddy where it was sung by Dean Martin. The song was an Academy Award for Best Original Song nominee in 1954. It was a signature song for Martin for decades. Music critic Joe Queenan has described the song as "A charming, if goofy, parody of popular Neapolitan organ-grinder music". Brooks also wrote the lyrics for many other film songs, such as "Let Me Be a People" and "Turn It On" in Jerry Lewis' 1960 film, Cinderfella. He died at the age of 59 in Los Angeles. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Liverpool (city in Merseyside, England, United Kingdom), Died November 8, 1971 (Los Angeles (seat of Los Angeles County, and largest city in California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1946 - 1956
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
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | MBS-095723 | 10-in. | before 6/18/1956 | Enamorada | Fernando Fernández ; Orquesta Chucho Zarzosa | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
| Victor | E0VB-4767 | 10-in. | 6/7/1950 | You wonderful you | Don Cornell ; Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with vocal chorus and instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
| Victor | E0VB-5540 | 10-in. | 8/31/1950 | Just for a while | Mindy Carson | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist | |
| Victor | D6VB-2354 | 10-in. | 6/14/1946 | Ole buttermilk sky | Helen Carroll ; Russ Case Orchestra ; The Satisfiers | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
| Victor | D6VB-3016 | 10-in. | 10/15/1946 | It's dreamtime | Moon Maids ; Vaughn Monroe's Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with female vocal ensemble, and jazz/dance band | lyricist | |
| Victor | D7VB-0738 | 10-in. | 5/18/1947 | Old buttermilk sky | Lonzo and Oscar ; Winston County Pea Pickers | Male vocal duet, with string band | songwriter | |
| Victor | D7VB-2752 | 10-in. | 12/27/1947 | Saturday date | Tex Beneke ; Tex Beneke Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | CO36677 | 10-in. | 7/22/1946 | Song of India | Charles Kullman | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | CO36678 | 10-in. | 7/22/1946 | Hymn to the sun | Charles Kullman | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | CO36679 | 10-in. | 7/22/1946 | Gypsy song | Charles Kullman | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Columbia | CO36680 | 10-in. | 7/22/1946 | Fandango | Charles Kullman | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Brooks, Jack," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/358965.
Brooks, Jack. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/358965.
"Brooks, Jack." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Brooks, Jack, 1912-1971 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n96011191
Wikidata: Jack Brooks - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3157134
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/5116095
MusicBrainz: Jack Brooks - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/16965212-10a8-4899-8406-f14e5ced8ff3
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1727533 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1727533
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