Ray Noble, songwriter: reference sources (web and print); selected songs; recordings, videos; miscellany

One highlight of Noble's time in Hollywood was the recording sessions Noble did with Fred Astaire as vocalist. His was the third orchestra (after Leo Reisman's and Johnny Green's) to become Astaire's accompaniment for his movie songs. According to Gary Marmorstein, "These were great recordings because they captured, on disk, Astaire's relaxed but eager-to please singing style, as well as the elaborate courtship, performed by his feet." In other words you can hear Astaire tapping as well as his singing.

These were all Brunswick recordings made between 1935 and 1937, after the films were shot but weeks before they were released, thereby acting as a preview and enticement for the public to come and see the movies (Marmorstein, pp. 151-152). No shortage of people who know these Astaire recordings rate them high on their lists of some of the best Songbook records ever. For William Zinsser, these Astaire recordings are "An education in the craft of the American popular song" (Easy to Remember The Great American Songwriters and Their Songs. Jaffrey, New Hampshire: David R. Godine, 2001, p. 103).

Two examples of Astaire and Noble recordings are "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "A Foggy Day," both from the Gershwin scored 1937 film A Damsel in Distress (available on the albums 'S Wonderful: The Music of George Gershwin and Starring Fred Astaire).

• I Hadn't Anyone Till You
• The Touch of Your Lips
• The Very Thought of You

Research Resources: Ray Noble

• Amazon (publications, recordings, videos, sheet music, etc.)
• DBOPM (Database Of Popular Music: song list, awards, hit songs, co-writers)
• Discogs.com (songwriting and arranging credits)
• Indiana University Sheet Music Collection (In Harmony): songwriter
• Internet Movie Database (brief biography, filmography, movie song credits)
• iTunes
• JABW (Al Bowly article including history of Bowly's association with Noble in US.)
• New York Public Library (catalog entries for books, personal papers, recordings, scores, etc.)
• The New York Times (articles about or related to the songwriter) NY Times Obituary (PDF requires Adobe Reader.)
• Songwriters Hall of Fame (biography and song list)
• Wikipedia (Ray Noble article)
• Alec Wilder, American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900-1950, New York: Oxford University Press, 1972 -- commentary on # songs (pp. 424-427 -- five songs discussed).
• Philip Furia, The Poets of Tin Pan Alley: A History of America's Great Lyricists,
  New York: Oxford University Press, 1990 (p. 259. on "The Very Thought of You")
• Gary Marmorstein, Hollywood Rhapsody: Movie Music and Its Makers, 1900-1975,
  New York: Schirmer Books, 1997 (pp. 151-152, on Noble recording with Astaire).
• Robert Gottlieb and Robert Kimball (Eds.), Reading Lyrics, New York: Pantheon Books, 2000 (pp. 362-364 overview plus lyrics to four songs).
• Warren W. Vaché, The Unsung Songwriters: America's Masters of Melody, The Scarecrow Press, 2000 (brief bios; entry pp. 349-353.).
• David A. Jasen, Tin Pan Alley: An Encyclopedia of the Golden Age of American Song, New York: Routledge, 2003 (entry, pp. 295-296).
• "Nice Work If You Can Get It": warholsoup100
• "A Foggy Day": tmmvds

Notes

• Gary Marmorstein Hollywood Rhapsody: Movie Music and Its Makers, 1900-1975 , New York: Schirmer Books, 1997

Cite this page: Ray Noble, songwriter: reference sources (web and print); selected songs; recordings, videos; miscellany, Cafe Songbook, https://greatamericansongbook.net/pages/songwriters/n_o_p_q_sws/noble_ray.html