Harry P. Guy

Harry P. Guy
Born(1870-07-17)July 17, 1870
DiedSeptember 16, 1950(1950-09-16) (aged 80)
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. He then moved to New York, where he studied under Victor Herbert and started his career writing musical arrangements. 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. He also composed arrangements for the University of Michigan and University of Detroit. His 1898 song, Echos from the Snowball Club, has become a ragtime classic.

Later in life, Guy fell into obscurity, living alone and in poverty until he died on September 16, 1950. 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.

List of compositions

Source:

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. 1 2 3 "Arranger of Hit Tunes Dies Here in Obscurity". Detroit Free Press. September 19, 1950. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 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.