Worton David

Ernest Worton David (17 October 1872 – 15 November 1940) was an English songwriter and music publisher.

Biography Worton David was born in Rawmarsh, near Rotherham in the West Riding of Yorkshire; Worton was his mother's maiden name. At first he worked in a solicitor's office, but wrote stories and soon joined the staff of the Leeds Mercury newspaper. He was also a cartoonist, and one of his jobs was to draw caricatures of performers at the Leeds Empire theatre. He started to write songs, and persuaded some of the performers he met to use them. As a result, he then decided to try his luck as a songwriter in London.

His first successful song, "Bobbing Up and Down Like This", was published in 1899. By 1909, he had teamed up with composer George Arthurs. In 1910 they wrote the successful parody "I want to sing in opera". In 1912 they wrote "Piccadilly Trot", with the then-fashionable ragtime rhythm, for Marie Lloyd; and, the following year, "Hold Your Hand Out, Naughty Boy!" for Florrie Forde.

In 1914, he began working with composer and music publisher Lawrence Wright, producing the popular marching song "Are We Downhearted? No!" (1914) and "That Old-Fashioned Mother of Mine" (1919), which became the signature song of Talbot O'Farrell. He signed up established songwriters Fred Godfrey and Harry Castling, as well as his own son, Hubert W. "Micky" David (1904-1999), who also became a successful composer; he wrote the hit song "Felix Kept On Walking", was associated with Twickenham Studios, and wrote the theme music to BBC TV's Come Dancing.

Worton David died in Worthing, Sussex, in 1940, aged 68.