Leo Feist

Leopold Feist (January 3, 1869, New York City or Mount Vernon, New York – June 21, 1930, Mount Vernon, New York) was a pioneer in the popular music publishing business. In 1897, Feist founded and ran a music publishing firm bearing his name. In the 1920s, at the height of the golden age of popular music, his firm was among the seven largest publishers of popular music in the world. The company used the motto "You can't go wrong, with any FEIST Song."

Career Feist started his career as a corset salesman, with songwriting as a hobby. He had trouble selling his music to a publisher, so he formed his own publishing house. He was successful in selling his own music through the new venture, and turned it into a full business, Leo Feist, Inc.

Leo Feist, Inc.

The first publishing hit was Smokey Mokes in 1895.

"My Blue Heaven," written by Walter Donaldson (music) in collaboration with George Whiting (lyrics), became the biggest song in the history of Leo Feist, Inc. Gene Austin recorded it (Victor 20964), selling over five million copies, and Eddie Cantor plugged it in vaudeville and in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1927. It sold over five million copies of sheet music. The two merged units operated somewhat independently, with the former owners acting as principals and as board members of the new holding company. The combined company was capitalized at $6.6 million and did $3.6 million of business annually at the time.

The company published about 2,000 titles in its founder's lifetime. The same year, it sold the Big 3 to United Artists (UA). In 1981, MGM acquired UA and formed MGM/UA Communications Co. In 1983, MGM/UA sold its music publishing business to CBS Records. CBS then sold the print music arm, Big 3 Music, to Columbia Pictures.

Personal life

In an unannounced ceremony, Feist married Bessie Meyer on June 24, 1904. He ran the classical music publishers Century Music, Mercury Music, and Associated Music Publishers. He died November 18, 1996. Nathan lived in Mount Vernon for 50 years, and was married to Beatrice Friedman in 1934; they had two children, Richard and Marilyn. He contracted polio when he was four years old, and was disabled thereafter, using a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Milton was also a member of the firm at the time of its sale to NBC. As a result, Feist was involved in the translation and printing of books written by the Chofetz Chaim. Feist spent the last four years of his life studying Torah full-time at Beth Medrash Govoha, in Lakewood, NJ. Milton also ran Mercury Music Corp.

Death Feist died at home in Mount Vernon, New York, on June 21, 1930.