Benjamin Bertram Leight, better known by his stage name Ben Light was an American pianist. He was born on April 23, 1893, in New York City.[1]

Light had a long career at the keyboard. He started playing the piano at the age of three without a teacher, and made his professional debut at the age of seven. For 15 years, he toured as a vaudeville pianist, performing with renowned figures such as Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Jack Benny and Sophie Tucker.[2] Known as a musical phenomenon, Ben Light was once timed playing 1,173 notes in a single minute.[3] Light was noted for his fast ragtime play and recorded over 100 piano compositions.[4] He claimed to have written "My Melancholy Baby" as a teenager, but did not copyright the work.[5][6]

In the late 1930s, he recorded bawdy "party" records for a low-budget jukebox label.[7] He also toured with Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards in 1938. From the late 1940s to the mid-1950s, he made over 100 recordings for the Tempo, Capitol, and X labels, selling millions of records.[8]

Ben Light died of a heart attack on January 6, 1965, in Santa Monica, California at the age of 72.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "BEN LIGHT DEAD; SONG WRITER Credited as Composer of 'My Melancholy Baby'". New York Times. January 9, 1965. p. 25. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  2. ↑ "World Deaths". The Washington Reporter. January 9, 1965. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  3. ↑ "Ben Light". saxonyrecordcompany.com.
  4. ↑ "Obituaries". Star News in Pasadena, California. January 9, 1965. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  5. ↑ Garber, Michael G. (June 28, 2021). My Melancholy Baby: The First Ballads of the Great American Songbook, 1902-1913. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781496834317.
  6. ↑ ""My Melancholy Baby": Song history, Commentary, Discography, Performances on Video". greatamericansongbook.net.
  7. ↑ "Ben Light And His Surf Club Boys". Discogs.
  8. ↑ "The Speed Of Light". Proper Music.
  9. ↑ Bruce Peacock (January 11, 1965). "Stage and Screen". The Leader-Post, Regina, Sask. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.