Charles K. Harris, noted American-Jewish music publisher and composer whose song, “After the Ball,” sold in three million copies, died Monday at his home at the age of 65. He is survived by his widow, two daughters, a brother and a sister.
Mr. Harris, who was born in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., spent most of his early years in the Middle West. During his childhood his father kept a tailor shop in Saginaw, Michigan. When the family moved to Milwaukee Mr. Harris, though still a boy, had become so proficent as a banjo player that he began to earn money as a teacher of the instrument, in spite of the fact that he could not read music.
His first songs Mr. Harris wrote for a Milwaukee amateur show, and although he did not receive any pay for them, they gave him a local reputation. Eventually he got an order from the Chicago Opera House to write three songs for “Sinbad the Sailor.” For this he was paid $150.
“After the Ball,” his first and greatest success, was written in 1893 and became famous almost overnight. After trying unsuccessfully to sell the song to actors, he persuaded James Aldrich Libby to sing it at the Bijou Theatre in Chicago, and it made a hit at once.
As a result, Mr. Harris was able to set up a thriving song-publishing business, first in Chicago and then in New York, where it is now located. Besides “After the Ball,” Mr. Harris wrote such hits as “Break the News to Mother,” “Hello, Central, Hello,” “Kiss and Let’s Make Up” and “Only a Tangle of Golden Curls.” He also wrote a photoplay based on “After the Ball,” and also scenarios based on other songs.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
