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[edit]
- ^ "BEN LIGHT DEAD; SONG WRITER Credited as Composer of 'My Melancholy Baby'". New York Times. January 9, 1965. p. 25. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ "World Deaths". The Washington Reporter. January 9, 1965. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ "Ben Light". saxonyrecordcompany.com.
- ^ "Obituaries". Star News in Pasadena, California. January 9, 1965. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
- ^ 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.
- ^ ""My Melancholy Baby": Song history, Commentary, Discography, Performances on Video". greatamericansongbook.net.
- ^ "Ben Light And His Surf Club Boys". Discogs.
- ^ "The Speed Of Light". Proper Music.
- ^ Bruce Peacock (January 11, 1965). "Stage and Screen". The Leader-Post, Regina, Sask. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-06-28.