Joe Burke
b. 16 March 1884, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, d. 9 June 1950, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, USA. Burke was an important popular composer from the '20s through to the late '40s. He played the piano in school orchestras and studied at the University of Philadelphia, before working for music publishers in Philadelphia and New York. Although he had some success in 1916 with one of his first compositions, Down Honolulu Way, with a lyric by Earl Burnett, Burke's first hit came in 1925 with Oh, How I Miss You Tonight, written with Benny Davis and Mark Fisher. The song became a best seller for Ben Selvin, and the Benson Orchestra of Chicago, among others. Frank Sinatra revived the hit nearly 40 years later on ALL ALONE. Selvin had a success with another Burke-Davis song, Carolina Moon which, over the years, became a familiar favourite, and gave Connie Francis a UK number 1 in 1958. He also wrote Baby Your Mother (Like Your Mother Babied You), with Dolly Morse. In 1929 Burke moved to Hollywood and teamed up with Al Dubin to write songs for the early talkies. For GOLD DIGGERS OF BROADWAY, the first of several films to be adapted from Avery Hopwood's stage play, GOLD DIGGERS, the team wrote eight songs, including What Will I Do Without You?, Tiptoe Through The Tulips and Painting The Clouds With Sunshine, both of which became hits for Nick Lucasand Jean Goldkette. Tiptoe Through The Tulips was successfully revived in 1968 by Tiny Tim. What Will I Do Without You? also turned up in the Al Jolson vehicle, BIG BOY (1930). After contributing Doin The New Racoon’ to Ruben Mamoulian's APPLAUSE (1929) in collaboration with Dolly Morse, Burke was back with Dubin during a hectic period in the early '30s, for films such as SHOW OF SHOWS (Pingo Pongo and If Your Best Friend Won't Tell You), SHE COULDN'T SAY NO (Darn Fool Woman Like Me and Watching My Dreams Go By), SALLY (If I'm Dreaming and All I Want To Do, Do, Do Is Dance), THE CUCKOOS (If I Were A Travelling Salesman), HOLD EVERYTHING, (Take It On The Chin, When Little Red Roses Get The Blues For You and Sing A Little Theme Song), DANCING SWEETIES (Kiss Waltz), OH! SAILOR BEWARE!(Love Comes In The Moonlight and Leave A Little Moonlight) and TOP SPEED (As Long As I Have You); CROONER, (I Send My Love With Roses). Reputedly disillusioned with Hollywood, Burke returned to New York. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes, discarded from DANCING SWEETIES became one of Burke and Dubin's most enduring numbers and a hit for Nat Shilkret, Ruth Etting and Ben Selvin. It returned to the US charts in 1952 in a version by Mantovani And His Orchestra. During the '30s Burke's second main collaborator was Edgar Leslie. They wrote some extremely popular songs in a variety of styles, such as A Little Bit Independent, which was popularized by Fats Waller and Freddie Martin. Other favourites included In A Little Gypsy Tea Room ( Bob Crosbyand Jan Garber), On Treasure Island, It Looks Like Rain In Cherry Blossom Lane ( Guy Lombardo), Getting Some Fun Out Of Life, Robins And Roses, By The River Of The Roses, If It Rains, Who Cares? and Moonlight On The Highway. The team also contributed Midnight Blue to the ZIEGFELD FOLLIES OF 1936, which starred Fanny Brice and Bob Hope; and We Must Be Vigilant (based on American Patrol) to the film WHEN JOHNNY COMES MARCHING HOME. They also wrote the title song for MOON OVER MIAMI (1941) which, eventually, was only used to accompany the opening titles. Subsequently, the song received treatments from artists as far removed as Felix Mendelssohn And His Hawaiian Serenaders, and Bill Haley And His Comets. During the '40s Burke wrote only a few songs, but one of his last, Rambling Rose (1948), written with Joseph McCarthy, became extremely popular in versions by Perry Como, Gordon MacCrae, and Bob Eberlywith Russ Morgan And His Orchestra. 
His other compositions included: Who Wouldn't Be Blue?, Crosby, Columbo And Vallée, For You, Goodnight, Little Girl Of My Dreams, In The Valley Of The Moon, A Little Church Around The Corner, The Moonlight Waltz, Cling To Me, When A Great Love Comes Along, At A Perfume Counter, Sailing At Midnight, Somewhere With Somebody Else, Rainbow Valley, Dream Valley, Goodnight, Girl Of My Dreams, You Must Believe Me, You'll Always Be The Same Sweetheart, Who Wouldn't Love You? and She Was Just A Sailor's Sweetheart. He also contributed the title song and It's A Grand Old Name (written with Ann Ronnell) to the movie PALOOKA (1934). Burke's other collaborators included Charles Tobias and Marty Symes. Burke died in 1950 and the following year his song Painting The Clouds With Sunshine surfaced again as the title to yet another film based on GOLD DIGGERS.