music.wikisort.org - Composer

James Anthony Cavanaugh (New York City, 29 October 1892 - New York City 18 August 1967) was an American songwriter.[1] Among his best known songs were "The Gaucho Serenade" (title track of the soundtrack to the Gene Autry movie Gaucho Serenade), and "Mississippi Mud" (1927) made popular by Bing Crosby, "Crosstown" (1940) co-written with John Redmond.

Early life

In 1917, Cavanaugh was living in Manhattan, at 511 W 130th St., was married to Martha V. Conroy, and was working as a private chauffeur for a businessman at 43 West 55th St. in Manhattan [source: WW I draft card claiming married exemption, 6/5/17, a month before the birth of his first son, Charles]. In October of 1918, he was drafted despite this, but as luck would have it, the armistice was signed 11/11/18 and Cavanaugh was discharged honorably in mid-December in the general demobilization.[source: US WW I Draft Registration Cards]

Transition to Songwriting Professional

James and Martha Cavanaugh would go on to raise six children. In the 1930 Census he still listed himself as a chauffeur, still living in Manhattan. In the 1940 US census, the family had moved to 316 East 184th Street in the Bronx, but Cavanaugh, despite having written successful songs for seven years by that time, still listed his occupation as "chauffeur." Finally, by 1942, when he registered for the "Old Man Draft" at the age of 50, he listed his employer as ASCAP, 30 Rockefeller Center, NYC, and he was living in the Bronx (where he still lived at the time of his death in 1967): he'd made the transition to professional songwriter.[source: US WW II Draft Registration Cards, 1942]

Songs

(Note: listing is incomplete)

• 1933 "I Like Mountain Music" Lyrics: James Cavanaugh, Music: Frank Weldon
• 1934 "Breakin' The Ice" Joseph McCarthy, James Cavanaugh and Weldon Thomas
• 1939 "Long Time No See" Arthur Altman and James Cavanaugh - recorded by the Andrews Sisters
• 1939 "Goody Goodbye" James Cavanaugh (lyrics) Nat Simon (music)
• 1940 "You're Breaking My Heart All Over Again" James Cavanaugh, Athur Altman and John Redmond - recorded by Vera Lynn
• 1944 "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You" co-written with Russ Morgan and Larry Stock
• 1944 "I'm a Little on the Lonely Side" John Redmond, James Cavanaugh and Frank Weldon
• 1945 "I'd Do It All Over Again" Frank Weldon, James Cavanaugh and Dick Robertson
• 1945 "Dearest Darling" Dick Robertson, James Cavanaugh and Frank Weldon
• 1945 "Did You Ever Get That Feeling In The Moonlight?" James Cavanaugh, Larry Stock and Ira Schuster
• 1948 "The Little Old Lady of Threadneedle Street" co-written with Larry Stock and Guy Wood
• 1950 "Christmas in Killarney" again co-written with John Redmond and Frank Weldon
• 1951 "32 Feet and 8 Little Tails" John Redmond, James Cavanaugh and Frank Weldon

References

---