Life and Times of William Christopher O'Hare

Biographical Backgrounds and Mysteries

Harry Owen Sutton

Harry Owen Sutton was born August 19, 1881, the second child of Owen E. Sutton and Alice French Sutton.  On August 25, The [Naples] Neopolitan announced, "Owen E. Sutton is the happy possessor of boy No. 2." Shortly before Harry's sixth birthday, a mishap nearly ended his life.  The July 20, 1887 Naples Record reported that he "fell into the water at the head of the mill flume near Crocker's factory. and but for the timely assistance of Mr. Crocker must have been drowned." Sometime before the 1892 New York State Census,  Harry began living with his father's sister and her husband, Mary Louise Sutton Pierce and Frank G. Pierce, who ran a music business. Mary Louise was also the Presbyterian church organist for several years.

Treemonisha stands on a bench and calls the steps, sometimes assisted by Lucy.  She leads the townspeople on two levels: on the literal level, she calls the steps for the dancers of “A Real Slow Drag”; metaphorically, she guides the people to a better life—“Marching onward.”  But they march not to the military strains of a John Philip Sousa; rather, they march to a characteristically African American music—a rag, a slow rag. This finale is a fitting and glorious conclusion, summing up Joplin’s philosophy that African Americans choose education as their means to a brighter future.   (King of Ragtime, 2016, 270)

On February 27, 1908, the Los Angeles Herald published an article in which Will R. Anderson revealed his secrets for writing a hit song:

Will R. Anderson, the author of Just Someone, by far the catchiest little song, both to melody and words that has been offered the American public in some years, has at last come out of his long, deep silence and told how he did it.

This is not Mr. Anderson's first lucky strike as the author of a popular song. Some years ago when the Silver Slipper was playing at the Broadway Theater, New York City, to indifferent business, the management interpolated a little number of his called Tessie, and within a week all New York was singing it, and within a surprisingly short period of time its popularity had spread over the entire country.  Just Someone, though published but a short time, bids fair to eclipse not only Tessie but every other song in the field at the present time.

Mr. Anderson, who is not a professional song writer, but is engaged as advertising man with one of the largest chemical houses in the country, explains the art of writing a singable song in these words: 

'The first step in the construction of a song that the public is going to like and take to at first hearing, is tunefulness; next to this in importance is simplicity.  I believe that my entire success with Just Someone is due to its simple and tuneful little melody.

'Next comes the words or rhyme.  Here again simplicity plays an important part--simplicity and sentiment--the former to make it popular with the masses who do not care to spend too much of their time in memorizing a song, and the later for the ladies, who are the real purchasers of our music after all.  Take the very first lines of Just Someone for example; they are simplicity itself, and yet they are sentimental and hold out a promise of more to come:

When you're happy and contented,
And your sky is clear and blue,
It's kind of nice to know there's someone,
Glad to share it all with you.

'These opening lines, I honestly believe, were responsible for M. Witmark & Sons publishing the song.  When I submitted it to them, they declared that they had all the sentimental songs they cared for--I read the first lines to them, they became interested--I played the music over, then sang the words and walked out of the place with my contract.  Again I say, simplicity, sentiment and tunefulness--get these and you have a popular song.'

Chico, Nov. 20.  --Every little movement of the orchestra and the ushers of the Chico Baptist church had a meaning all its own when the collection was taken at the regular services.  Also, a modern musical comedy tune, it as found, could be successfully grafted on the church organ pipes and bear good fruit.  Furthermore, there was something like vindication for those leaders of Protestant churches who insist that the old hymn tunes may with profit be relegated to the basement while the choir loft devotes itself to something more modern.

While the contribution box was being passed at the church the congregation was electrified by a new air played by the excellent orchestra.  There was a secular lilt to the tune that carried the hand of the parishioner into his deepest pocket and brought it forth in waltz time, jingling with coin.  The ushers, as they passed the plate, stepped more lightly than their wont.

Most of those in the church were benignly innocent of the name of the air that was being played, though they knew that Moody and Sankey never composed anything like it.  Younger members of the flock recognized that the orchestra was playing the popular waltz number from Madame Sherry, "Every Little Movement has a Meaning All Its Own."