Felix Bernard(1897-1944)

Composer ("Winter Wonderland", "Dardanella"), conductor and pianist, educated at Rensselaer Poly Institute and CR. His early musical studies were with his father, and Bernard was a professional pianist from childhood. He toured the US for the Orpheum and Keith Vaudeville Circuits, and also abroad. After working as a pianist for music publishers and dance orchestras, he formed his own band. He wrote professional one-act musical comedies for vaudeville. He wrote special musical material for 'Sophie Tucker', Nora Bayes, Marilyn Miller, Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor, and for his own radio show, which he also produced. Joining ASCAP in 1934, his chief musical collaborators were Johnny Black, Richard Smith, L. Wolfe Gilbert, and Sam Coslow. Other compositions include "The Whistlin' Cowboy", "You Opened My Eyes", "Cutest Kid in Town", "Jane", "Tom Thumb and Tiny Teens", "What Am I Goin' to Do for Lovin'?", "The Mailman's Got My Letter", "Painter In The Sky", "Twenty One Dollars a Day Once a Month", and "I'd Rather Be Me".