February 15, 1905 Harold Arlen is born Hyman Arluck in Buffalo, New York. A prolific composer, he writes "Over The Rainbow" with lyricist Yip Harburg.
January 12, 1905 Country singer Tex Ritter is born Woodward Maurice Ritter in Murvaul, Texas. He becomes the first artist to sign with Capitol Records.
January 2, 1905 Composer Michael Tippett - known for the 1955 opera The Midsummer Marriage, among many other notable works - is born in Cornwall, England.
August 28, 1904 Swing/Jazz musician Ernie Fields is born in Nacogdoches, Texas. Raised in Oklahoma, he would be known as bandleader to Tulsa-based Royal Entertainers.
May 26, 1904 George Formby, who will become a popular comedic actor and singer throughout the '30s and '40s, is born George Hoy Booth in Wigan, Lancashire, England.
May 2, 1904 Broadcaster, singer and occasional lyricist Wilfrid Coad Thomas is born in Britain. Wrote the English lyrics to "Rose, Rose, I Love You," recorded by Frankie Laine in 1951.
February 12, 1904 Ted Mack is born William Edward Maguiness in Greeley, Colorado. He takes over as host of the popular radio talent contest The Original Amateur Hour in 1948 when it makes the leap to television, where it runs until 1970.
September 15, 1903 Country singer Roy Acuff is born in Maynardville, Tennessee. Along with Fred Rose, he founded the Acuff-Rose music publishing company and signed Hank Williams and Roy Orbison, among others.
October 10, 1902 Kalamazoo, Michigan, mandolin maker Orville Gibson founds the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co, Ltd. In 1936 it would create the first commercially successful electric guitar.
December 12, 1901 Guglielmo Marconi receives the first trans-Atlantic wireless radio signal.
October 20, 1901 Film composer Frank Churchill is born in Rumford, Maine. Known for his work on Disney films, including memorable songs for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, like "Heigh-Ho."
October 3, 1901 The first record company, The Victor Talking Machine Company, is incorporated, later merging with the Radio Corporation of America to become RCA-Victor.
September 28, 1901 Ed Sullivan is born in Harlem, New York City. Before hosting his long-running eponymous TV show that introduces The Beatles and Elvis Presley, among others, he'll work as a sportswriter for the New York Evening Graphic and theater columnist for the New York Daily News.
August 15, 1901 Songwriter Ned Washington ("Wild Is The Wind," "Theme From 'The Unforgiven'") is born in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
August 4, 1901 Jazz singer and trumpeter Louis Armstrong is born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He becomes a formative figure in the world of jazz, popularizing solo improvisations and scat singing. His best-known song, "What A Wonderful World," is recorded in 1967 when he's 66.
May 20, 1901 Jazz pianist Jimmy Blythe, who composed the seminal boogie-woogie tune "Chicago Stomp," is born in South Keene, Kentucky.
August 2, 1900 Torch singer and actress Helen Morgan is born in Danville, Illinois. She sings "Bill" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" in the original run of Show Boat in 1927.
July 8, 1900 Avant-garde composer George Antheil is born Georg Johann Carl Antheil in Trenton, New Jersey.
March 2, 1900 Composer Kurt Weill is born in Dessau, Germany. Known for his collaborations with playwright Bertolt Brecht, including The Threepenny Opera and its famous ballad "Mack the Knife."
January 28, 1900 Composer Michael Head is born Michael Dewar Head in Eastbourne, England.
November 22, 1899 Bandleader Hoagy Carmichael is born Howard Hoagland Carmichael in Bloomington, Indiana. Known for composing enduring standards like "Stardust," "Georgia On My Mind," "Heart and Soul," and "The Nearness of You."
August 23, 1899 Dwight Hamilton Baldwin, manufacturer of the Baldwin Piano, dies in Cincinnati, Ohio, at age 78.
May 10, 1899 Fred Astaire is born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska. After appearing with his sister Adele on the Broadway stage, he becomes a Hollywood star.
December 20, 1898 Actress and singer Irene Dunne is born in Louisville, Kentucky. Known for her Academy Award-nominated performances in the '30s and '40s, including Cimarron, Theodora Goes Wild, The Awful Truth, Love Affair and I Remember Mama.
January 25, 1897 Blind Willie Johnson, known best for "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground," is born in Pendleton, Texas.More
December 6, 1896 Ira Gershwin is born in New York City. With his younger brother George, he writes music for many popular songs, including "Summertime."
April 8, 1896 Edgar Yipsel Harburg, known as "Yip," is born in New York City. He co-writes many popular songs, including "Over The Rainbow" and "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime."
November 16, 1895 Composer Paul Hindemith is born in Hessen, Germany. Known for the 1938 opera Mathis der Maler (Matthias the Painter).
July 12, 1895 Oscar Hammerstein II is born in New York City. The musical composer and theater director becomes known for his collaborations with Richard Rodgers, including The King and I and The Sound of Music.
January 27, 1895 Film producer, record executive and occasional lyricist Buddy DeSylva is born George Gard DeSylva in New York. He co-wrote the Al Jolson hit "April Showers."
©2026 Songfacts®, LLC