Raymond Hubbell facts for kids
John Raymond Hubbell (born June 1, 1879 – died December 13, 1954) was an American writer, composer, and lyricist. He is most famous for his popular song, "Poor Butterfly".
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About John Raymond Hubbell
Early Life and Musical Start
John Hubbell was born in Urbana, Ohio. He went to school there and later studied music in Chicago, Illinois. In Chicago, he even started his own dance band!
He worked for a music publisher called Charles K. Harris Publishers. There, he was a staff arranger (someone who helps put music together) and a pianist (someone who plays the piano).
His first songs for stage musicals were for a show called Chow Chow in 1902. This show was popular in Chicago. It was later changed and renamed The Runaways in 1903. This new version played for a long time in New York and then toured around the country.
Broadway and Famous Songs
John Hubbell started writing music for the famous Ziegfeld Follies shows in 1911. He wrote music for seven different Follies shows over the years!
In 1915, he became the music director for the New York Hippodrome. This was a very big theater. He also wrote the music for a show called "Good Times," which was performed 456 times at the Hippodrome. He kept writing music for the theater until 1923.
The song he is best remembered for, "Poor Butterfly", was written for one of his first shows at the Hippodrome, called The Big Show. However, John Hubbell himself thought his best song was "The Ladder of Roses." He wrote that song for another Hippodrome hit in 1915, called Hip-Hip-Hooray.
His last show on Broadway was the musical Three Cheers in 1928. This show starred the famous Will Rogers. A newspaper writer named Brooks Atkinson said that most of the music was "simple and pleasant to listen to." Soon after, John Hubbell retired and moved to Miami, Florida.
Helping Musicians (ASCAP)
John Hubbell was one of the nine people who helped start ASCAP in 1914. ASCAP is a group that helps make sure musicians and composers get paid when their music is used. For 23 years, he was in charge of who joined the group. For 7 years, he was also the person who managed ASCAP's money. He retired from his work at ASCAP when he was 50 years old.
Later Years and Legacy
His Final Years
John Hubbell had a small health issue in 1947. He had a more serious health issue in November 1954 and passed away on December 13, 1954. He was survived by his wife, Estelle, whom he married around 1914.
List of His Musicals
Here is a list of some of the musicals John Raymond Hubbell worked on:
- The Runaways (1903) (first played as Chow Chow)
- Fantana (1905)
- A Knight for a Day (1907)
- The Midnight Sons (1909)
- The Bachelor Belles (1910)
- The Jolly Bachelors (1910)
- Ziegfeld Follies for 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, and 1917
- A Winsome Widow (1912)
- The Man from Cook's (1912)
- Hip! Hip! Hooray! (1915)
- Ladder of Roses (1915)
- For the Honor of the Flag (1916)
- The Big Show (1916) (which included the song Poor Butterfly)
- Cheer Up, Liza (1917)
- I'll Be Somewhere in France (1917)
- Melody Land (1917)
- Follow the Flag (1918)
- The Kiss Burglar (1918)
- Everything (1918)
- We'll Stand by Our Country (1918)
- Happy Days (1919)
- I Want to Go Back to the War (1919)
- Good Times (1920)
- Better Times (1922)
- Yours Truly (1927)
- Three Cheers (1928)
