Browse Items (11 total)
Sort by:
Janice Cleary Discusses Sheet Music with Omaha Connections
Janice Cleary discussed a few of the pieces of sheet music she shared with History Harvest. Mrs. Cleary brought in several pieces with connections to Omaha, NE, but her entire collection contains nearly 50,000 pieces of American popular music. In…
'The Blue Melody' sheet music
This “1917 Jazz Band Sensation” is an instrumental song composed by Maceo Pinkard of “Sweet Georgia Brown” fame. Janice Cleary, who owns this amazing collection, informed us that Pinkard was a booking agent in Omaha before he…
'I'm Going Back Home' sheet music
This “Terrific Hit” song written by Maceo Pinkard of ‘Sweet Georgia Brown” fame is about a man returning to his home in “Dixie land”. He tells his girl, “Now you can stay up here and have all I’ve…
'I Want to See My Girl in London' sheet music
This World War I song is about a soldier’s faithfulness to his country and his girl. The lyrics use the name Tommy Atkins, a term used to denote a generic British soldier, rather than a specific individual. Tommy, “while down in a trench…
'Sweet Georgia Brown' sheet music
This is an original version of the legendary song with music written by Maceo Pinkard, lyrics by Kenneth Casey and popularized by Ben Bernie. Janice Cleary who owns this amazing collection, assures us from her research that Pinkard was a booking…
'Happy Feeling Rag' sheet music
This sheet music is a ragtime instrumental song composed by Dan Desdunes in 1912. Janice Cleary who owns this amazing collection remembers seeing Desdunes leading his band in Omaha parades when she was young. Those memories make this artifact…
'Alibi-ing Papa' sheet music
“Alibi-ing Papa” is about a woman who is fed up with her husband’s nights spent away from the family and the lies he tells to cover up his nocturnal adventures. The narrative takes place in Mobile, Alabama where alibing Sam always…
“I’m Free, Single, Disengaged, Looking For Someone to Love” Sheet Music
This post-World War I foxtrot is about a person looking for a “sweetie” who would, “Buzz around me like a Bumble Bee”. The lyrics mention being blue and suffering sleepless nights, “Regretting the day that I was…
'Omaha Blues' sheet music
A man’s longing for his hometown, the city of Omaha Nebraska, inspires this post World War I blues song, printed as sheet music. The song is about his dreams of returning to Omaha after a life of roaming and his desire to settle down near his…
'When He Sang that Baritone He Sang Some Bear' sheet music
This pre-World War I song is about a baritone singer named William Washington Malone who, “Made them get so hot, they’d rag a new fox trot. The girls would Salome, they all would come and fetch the mo’ to hear old William Washington…