Editing Con Conrad

{{short description|American songwriter, record producer (1891–1938)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Con Conrad
| image           =
| caption         =
| image_size      =
| birth_name      = Conrad K. Dober
| alias           =
| birth_date      = {{Birth date|1891|6|18|mf=y}}
| death_date      = {{death date and age|1938|9|28|1891|6|18}}
| death_place     = [[Van Nuys]], California
| origin          = [[New York City]]
| instrument      =
| genre           =
| occupation      = [[Songwriter]]
}}

'''Con Conrad''' (born '''Conrad K. Dober'''; June 18, 1891 – September 28, 1938) was an American songwriter and producer.

==Biography==
{{More citations needed|section|date=August 2023}}
[[File:Con. Conrad & Irving Caesar, 4-17-24 LCCN2016848951.jpg|thumb|Con Conrad and [[Irving Caesar]], 1924]]
Conrad was born in [[Manhattan, New York]], and published his first song, "Down in Dear Old New Orleans", in 1912. Conrad produced the Broadway show ''The Honeymoon Express'', starring [[Al Jolson]], in 1913.  By 1918, Conrad was writing and publishing with [[Waterson, Berlin & Snyder, Inc.|Henry Waterson (1873–1933)]]. He co-composed "[[Margie (song)|Margie]]" in 1920 with [[J. Russel Robinson]] and lyricist [[Benny Davis]], which became his first major hit. He went on to compose hits that became standards, including:

* "[[Palesteena]]" with co-composer and co-lyricist [[J. Russel Robinson]] (1920)
* "[[Singin' the Blues (1920 song)|Singin' the Blues]]" with co-composer [[J. Russel Robinson]] and lyricists [[Sam M. Lewis]] and [[Joe Young (lyricist)|Joe Young]] (1920)
* "You've Got to See Mama Ev'ry Night" with co-composer and co-lyricist [[Billy Rose]] (1923)
* "Come on Spark Plug" with co-composer and co-lyricist [[Billy Rose]] (1923)
* "Barney Google" with co-composer and co-lyricist [[Billy Rose]] (1923)
* "Memory Lane" with lyricist [[Buddy DeSylva]] and co-composer [[Sam Coslow|Larry Spier]] (1924)
* "Lonesome and Sorry" with lyricist [[Benny Davis]] (1926)
* "[[Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me]]" with lyricist [[Sidney Clare]] (1928)<ref name="Shof" />

In 1923, Conrad focused on the stage and wrote the scores for the Broadway shows:  ''The Greenwich Village Follies'', ''Moonlight'', ''Betty Lee'', ''Kitty’s Kisses'' and ''[[Americana (Revue)|Americana]]''.<ref name="Shof"/> In 1924 the [[Longacre Theatre]] staged the small musical ''Moonlight'', with a score by Conrad and [[William B. Friedlander]]. The next year Conrad and Friedlander's ''Mercenary Mary'' was presented at the Longacre.<ref>{{cite book|page=151 |last=Bloom|first=Ken|title=The Routledge Guide to Broadway |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zd15GW0ruWUC&pg=PA151|access-date=May 26, 2014 |year=2007|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-97380-9}}</ref> In 1929, Conrad moved to Hollywood after losing all of his money on unsuccessful shows. There he worked on films such as ''Fox Movietone Follies'', ''Palmy Days'', ''[[The Gay Divorcee]]'' and ''Here’s to Romance''.<ref name="Shof"/>

Conrad received the first [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Song]] for ''[[The Continental (song)|The Continental]]'' in 1934 with collaborator [[Herb Magidson]]. He died four years later in Van Nuys, California at age 47<ref name="Shof"/> after a long illness.<ref>"Con Conrad" (obituary). Variety, 5 October 1938, 62.</ref>

His spouse was actress [[Francine Larrimore]].

Conrad was inducted posthumously into the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in 1970.<ref name="Shof"/>

== Notes ==
<references>
<ref name="Shof">{{cite web |title=Con Conrad |publisher=Songwriters Hall of Fame |url=http://songwritershalloffame.com/index.php/exhibits/bio/C83 |access-date=April 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042242/http://songwritershalloffame.com/index.php/exhibits/bio/C83 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
</references>

==External links==
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Con Conrad |sopt=t}}
*{{IMDb name|175628|Con Conrad}}
*{{ChoralWiki}}
*[http://dmr.bsu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/ShtMus&CISOPTR=694&REC=4 Sheet Music for "Margie"], Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co., 1920.
* [https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108735 Con Conrad recordings] at the [[Discography of American Historical Recordings]].
*{{IMSLP|id=Conrad, Con}}

{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1934–1940}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad, Con}}
[[Category:1891 births]]
[[Category:1938 deaths]]
[[Category:Songwriters from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songwriters]]
[[Category:Record producers from New York (state)]]
[[Category:20th-century American songwriters]]