Harry P. Guy
BornJuly 17, 1870
DiedSeptember 16, 1950
EraRagtime

Harry P. Guy (July 17, 1870 – September 16, 1950) was an American ragtime composer.

Guy was born in Zanesville, Ohio, where he wrote his first compositions.[1] He then moved to New York, where he studied under Victor Herbert and started his career writing musical arrangements.[2] He later moved to Detroit in 1895, where he worked first for Whitney-Warner and then Willard Bryant, writing songs for many famous artists of the era.[3] [4] He also composed arrangements for the University of Michigan and University of Detroit.[2] His 1898 song, Echos from the Snowball Club, has become a ragtime classic.[3]

Later in life, Guy fell into obscurity, living alone and in poverty until he died on September 16, 1950.[2] He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit in an unmarked grave. His burial place was eventually recognized in 2003 when a group of local enthusiasts and citizens held a ceremony and placed a commemorative marker.[3]

List of compositions

Source:[5]

Echoes from the Snowball Club (1898)
Pearl of the Harem (1901)

References

  1. ^ David Meyers; Candice Watkins; Arnett Howard & James Loeffler (2012). Ohio Jazz. ISBN 9781609495756. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
  2. ^ a b c "Arranger of Hit Tunes Dies Here in Obscurity". Detroit Free Press. September 19, 1950. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c Jon Milan (2009). Detroit: Ragtime and the Jazz Age. pp. 19–21. ISBN 9780738561134. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
  4. ^ Lars Olof Björn (2001). Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit, 1920-60. University of Michigan Press. p. 14. ISBN 0472067656. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
  5. ^ Edwards, Bill. "RagPiano.com - Male Ragtime Composers Biographies and Information (Page 2)". RagPiano.com. Retrieved 2023-12-08.

External links

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