George L. Cobb

George Linus Cobb (August 31, 1886 – December 25, 1942) was an American composer. He composed over 200 pieces of music, including ragtime, marches, and waltzes. He also wrote columns for music trade publications.

Career

Cobb attended the School of Harmony and Composition at Syracuse University in 1905, and his compositions began soon thereafter.

Cobb collaborated with lyricist Jack Yellen on many early songs, and in 1950 Billboard described Cobb as a "roving music teacher" during Yellen's sophomore year in college. They sold their first big hit, All Aboard for Dixieland, for $100 in 1913, but the two had been writing songs as early as 1909, beginning with Moonlight Makes Me Lonesome For A Girl Like You.

Cobb's most famous work is Russian Rag, a composition based on the opening chord progression of Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op.3, No.2. The piece was such a hit in 1918 that Cobb wrote The New Russian Rag in 1923 in an attempt to arrange more of the Rachmaninoff prelude for ragtime piano.

American Quartet- All Aboard for Dixieland (1914), Victor Billy Murray & Will Oakland- Just For To-night (1914), Victor Collins & Harlan- Alabama Jubilee (1915), Victor Billy Murray & Irving Kaufman- Are You From Dixie (Cause I'm From Dixie Too) (1915), Victor Peerless Quartet- When You're Five Times Sweet Sixteen (1916), Victor Peerless Quartet- On Honolulu Bay (1916), Victor Earl Rector and the Rector Novelty Orchestra- Russian Rag (1918), Columbia Six Brown Brothers- Peter Gink (1919), Victor

Death and legacy Cobb died of coronary thrombosis on December 25, 1942.