Cliff Friend

Cliff Friend
Born	October 1, 1893(1893-10-01)
Origin	Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Died	June 27, 1974(1974-06-27) (aged 80)
Occupations	Songwriter
Instruments	Piano
Associated acts	Tin Pan Alley

Cliff Friend (October 1, 1893 – June 27, 1974) was an accomplished songwriter and pianist. A member of Tin Pan Alley, Friend co-wrote several hits including "Lovesick Blues," "My Blackbirds Are Bluebirds Now" and "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down," also known as the theme song to the Looney Tunes cartoon series.

Early life

Friend was born into in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1893.^[1] His father was first violinist with the Woods Theater Orchestra.^[1] Friend studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music with the aim of becoming a concert pianist, until a three-year bout of tuberculosis.^[2] Friend met Harry Richman while working on vaudeville shows, and the two moved to Los Angeles, California where they befriended Buddy De Sylva and Al Jolson.^[1]

Tin Pan Alley

Jolson encouraged Friend and Richman to move to New York, where they became part of Tin Pan Alley.^[1] Friend collaborated with leading songwriters Abel Baer, Lew Brown, Irving Caesar, Sidney Clare, Billy Rose and Charles Tobias,^[1] and Jolson assisted Friend by placing songs in the musicals he was acting in, including The Passing Show and Bombo.^[2]

Friend's first hit was in 1923, called "You Tell Her - I Stutter" and co-written with Billy Rose, it was recorded by The Happiness Boys.^[2] Over the next 15 years Friend also co-wrote "Lovesick Blues," "June Night," "Then I'll Be Happy," "(Oh) If I Only Had You," "A Night in June (Beneath the Moon)," "My Blackbirds are Bluebirds Now," "It Goes Like This," "You're a Real Sweetheart," "Bashful Baby," "I Want to Sing About You," "It's Great to Be In Love," "Let's Have a Party," "The Sweetest Music This Side of Heaven," "When My Dream Boat Comes Home," "You've Got Me In the Palm of Your Hand," "Out Where the Blue Begins" and "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down."^[2] "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" was used as the theme song in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon series.

Cliff Friend died in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1974.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Songwriters Hall of Fame". http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/notable_bio.asp?notableWriterId=14. Retrieved 2008-01-11. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ ^{a b c d} "Composers Lyricists Database". http://nfo.net/cal/tf5.html. Retrieved 2008-01-11. 

Persondata
Name	Friend, Cliff
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	October 1, 1893
Place of birth
Date of death	June 27, 1974
Place of death