James Thornton (songwriter)
James Thornton | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | December 5, 1861 Dublin or Liverpool, United Kingdom |
| Died | July 27, 1938 (aged 76) New York City, New York, United States |
| Genres | Popular music |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter/singer, comedian |
| Years active | c. 1885–1934 |
James Thornton (December 5, 1861 – July 27, 1938)[1] was an Irish-American songwriter and vaudeville performer. He is primarily remembered today as the composer of the 1898 song, "When You Were Sweet Sixteen".
Career
Thornton started his career as a "singing waiter" in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and then achieved success with his wife, Elisabeth "Bonnie" Cox, in music halls throughout the US as what was then called a "serio-comic" or "monologist" (essentially a stand-up comic) and singer. During his career, he also performed in a vaudeville team with Charles B. Lawlor.[1]
Thornton's compositions included: "
Thornton's last public appearance was in 1934 at the Forrest Theater in New York City.[citation needed]
Private life
Little is known about his early life.
Margaret Bradford Boni wrote about him:[6]
Thornton, genial, undependable, bibulous, was one of the greatest of the Tin Pan Alley songwriters and comedians. [...] Bonnie Thornton, his wife, a well-known singer of the day, worked there also, and part of her job, it is told, was to keep her husband from spending all of his money on drink. Thornton, returning home from a drinking spree on Independence Day, was met with Bonnie's tearful reproof and her sadly expressed doubt of his love and fidelity. Quickly he reassured her with the words, "My Sweetheart's the man in the moon." The words gave him the title and idea for one of his greatest songs, which was later sung with enormous success by Bonnie at Tony Pastor's 14th Street Theatre.
Apparently, this was a recurring theme in their marriage, as a similar story is told about the origin of "When You Were Sweet Sixteen".
After Bonnie died in 1920, Thornton married restaurateur Josephine Boyle.[5]
References
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ Thornton, James; Hauenschild, Clara (1896). "Going for a Pardon" (PDF). JScholarship, Johns Hopkins University, Levy Sheet Music Collection. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ Thornton, James (1895). "Streets Of Cairo or The Poor Little Country Maid". JScholarship, Johns Hopkins University, Levy Sheet Music Collection. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "James Thornton". Kokomo.ca. 2011-12-09. Archived from the original on 2018-06-14. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
- ^ a b "James Thornton, Actor, Weds Again" (PDF). The New York Times. 4 December 1920.
- ^ Boni, Margaret Bradford (1960). Songs of the Gilded Age. Golden Press. p. 40.
External links
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