20s-30s Fake Book

"C" book ("Bb" book: mid-Jan. 2008)

Dedicated to John Farrell, 1936-2007, British stride pianist, piano roll maker, and transcriber.
John made many solo piano midi files for our enjoyment. Download them all!


This is not a jazz book; it's a fun book of mainly popular, show and movie tunes through 1934-35. Standards you'd expect to find; standards you'd be surprised to learn are from the 20s, with the verses and original chords; some "novelties"; and a few oddments from before 1920 and after 1935. Some pop tunes will be familiar mainly to Bix fans, from his Paul Whiteman days. Many tunes in this book are "novelties" by virtue of cutesy lyrics and turns of phrase, but our novelties go beyond that.
The final selection reflects my personal response to the tunes: I thought they'd be fun to play and audiences would enjoy hearing them.
Many of the best-known "sing-along" standards are part of the Dixieland repertoire, hence are in Dixieland Fake Book Vol. 1. A few 20s tunes popular in the 30s and later (eg. Gershwin) are in 30s-40s Fake Book. The "hard-core" dixieland classics that are such an important part of 20s music are in "Dixieland Fake Book--Vol. 2".
Errata Sheet
*=separate lyric sheet; V=Verse; P=patter; lyr=lyrics on sheet
After awhile 
*Ain'tcha' glad 
*Ain't we got fun (V) 
*April showers (V) 
*Baby (McHugh) (V) 
*Baby brown (V) 
*Back in your own back yard (V) 
*Baltimore (V) 
*Because my baby don't mean maybe now (V) 
*Best things in life are free (V) 
*Beyond the blue horizon (V) 2pp 
*Black bottom (V) 2pp 
*Blue again (V) 
Blue and broken hearted (lyr) 
Blue prelude (lyr) 
*Blue room (V) 
*Blues in my heart (V) 
Blues serenade (lyr) 
*Boulevard of broken dreams (V) 
*Breezin' along with the breeze (V) 
*Brown eyes why are you blue (V) 
*Button up your overcoat (V) 
*By the fireside (In the gloaming) (V) 
*Can't help lovin' that man (V) 
*Cecelia (V) 
*Changes (V) 
*Charley my boy (V) 2pp 
*Cherry (V) 
*Chloe 
*Clap hands here comes Charlie (V) 
*Collegiate Sam (V) 2pp 
*Concentratin' on you (V) 
*Coquette (V) 
*Cooking breakfast for the one I love (V) 
Cows may come cows may go (V,lyr) 2pp 
*Crazy rhythm (V) 
*Crazy words, crazy tune (V) 2pp 
*Crying for the Carolines (V, P) 2pp 
*Daddy won't you please come home (V) 
*Dames (V) 
*Dardanella (V) 
*Did you ever see a dream walking (V) 
*Do something (V) 
*Do you ever think of me (V) 
*Doin' the new lowdown (V) 
*Doin' the raccoon (V, P) 2pp 
*Don't bring Lulu (V) 
*Down where the sun goes down (V) 
Egyptian Ella (V, lyr) 2pp 
*Emaline (V) 
*Every evening (V) 
*Flaming Mamie (V) 
*Flying down to Rio (V) 2pp 
*For me and my gal (V)  
*Forty-second Street (V) 
Gang that sang Heart of my Heart (V, lyr) 2pp 
*Get out and get under the moon (V) 
*Get rhythm in your feet (V) 
*Girl friend (V) 
*Give me the Sultan's harem (V) 2pp 
*Glad rag doll (V) 
*Gold digger song (We're in the money)(V) 
*Good little bad little you (V) 
Good news (V) 2pp 
*Got a great big date (V) 
*Guilty (V) 
*Hallelujah(V) 2pp 
*Happy days and lonely nights (V) 
*Happy feet (V) 
*He's a good man to have around (V) 
*Heartaches (V) 
*He's the last word (V) 
*Here comes Emily Brown (V) 
*Here comes my ball and chain (V) 
*Here lies love (V) 
*Here's love in your eye (V) 
*Hold me (V) 
*Home in Pasadena (V) 
Honey (V,lyr) 
*How can you face me (V) 
How could Red Riding Hood (V) 2pp 
*I believe in miracles (V) 
*I didn't know what time it was (V) 
*I found a million dollar baby (V) 
*I get the blues when it rains (V) 
*I guess I'll have to change my plan (V) 
*I kiss your hand madame (V) 
*I love my baby (V) 
*I may be wrong (V) 
*I thank you Mr. Moon (V) 
*I wanna be loved by you (V) 
*I want to be bad (V) 
*I want to be happy (V) 
*I wish't I was in Peoria (V) 
I won't dance (V, lyr) 2pp 
*I'd do anything for you (V) 
*I'd rather be blue thinking of you (V,P) 2pp
If dreams came true (lyr) 
*If I had a talking picture of you (V) 
If I had my way (lyr) 
*I'll get by (V) 
I'm a dreamer (aren't we all) (V, lyr) 2pp 
*I'm crazy 'bout my baby (V) 
*I'm crooning a tune about June (V) 
*I'm gonna Charleston back to Charleston (V,P) 2pp 
*I'm gonna meet my sweetie now (V) 
*I'm in the market for you (V) 
*I'm just wild about Harry (V) 
*I'm more than satisfied (V) 
*I'm nobody's baby (V) 
*I'm playing with fire (V) 
*I'm putting all my eggs in one basket (V) 
*I'm sittin' on top of the world (V) 
*I'm through with love (V) 
*I'm wonderin' who (V) 
*It all depends on you (V) 
*It's the girl (V) 
*It's the mood that I'm in (V) 
*I've got a feeling I'm falling (V) 
*I've got my fingers crossed (V) 
*I've got the yes we have no bananas blues (V) 2pp 
I've never seen a straight banana (V, lyr) 2pp 
*Japanese sandman (V) 
Jealous (V, lyr) 2pp 
*Joint is jumpin', The (V) 
*Junk man (V) 
*Just a gigolo (V) 
*Just friends (V) 
*Just like a melody out of the sky (V) 
*Just one more chance (V) 
*Keep on doin' what you're doin' (V) 
Kiss me sweet (V, lyr) 
*Last night on the back porch (V) 
*Laughing at life (V) 
*Let a smile be your umbrella (V) 
*Let's do it (V) 
*Let's misbehave (V) 
*Lies (V) 
*Linger awhile (V) 
*Little girl (V) 
Little Rock getaway 
*Little white lies (V) 
*Lonely melody (V) 
*Lonesome and sorry (V) 
*Louise (V) 
*Louisiana fairy tale (V) 
*Lovable and sweet (V) 
*Love is just around the corner (V) 
*Love me or leave me (V) 
*Ma! (He's making eyes at me) (V) 
Make believe (V, waltz, lyr) 2pp 
*Make my cot where the cot-cot-cotton (V)... 
*Makin' whoopee (V) 
*Mammy o' mine (V) 
Marguerite (V) (NORK) 
*Masculine women, feminine men (V) 
*Me and my shadow (V) 
*Moanin' low (V) 
*Moonlight and roses (V) 
Moonlight on the Ganges (V) 2pp 
*Moonlight saving time (V) 
*More than you know (V) 2pp 
*Music goes 'round and around (V) 
*My blackbirds are bluebirds now (V,P) 2p 
*My blue days blew over (V) 
*My cutie's due at two-to-two (V) 
*My fate is in your hands (V) 
*My kinda love (V) 
*My mother's eyes (V) 
*My silent love (V) 
My sin (V, lyr) 2pp 
*My Sunday girl (V) 
*My sweet tooth says I wanna (but my wisdom tooth says no) (V) 
*My sweeter than sweet (V) 
*My troubles are over (V) 
*New kind of man, A (V) 
*Oh sister ain't that hot (V) 
*Old Water Mill, An (V) 
*One I love belongs to somebody else (V) 
*One more time (V) 
Oriental blues (Ernie Kovacs theme) 3pp 
*Out in the cold again (V) 
Paddlin' madeline home (V, lyr) 2pp 
*Painting the clouds with sunshine (V) 
Palesteena (,Lena from) (lyr) (ODJB) 2pp 
*Pettin' in the park (V) 
Pretty baby 
*Put your arms around me(V) 
*Puttin' on the ritz (V)
*Rain (V) 
*Reaching for someone (V) 
*Red hot mama (V) 
*Remember my forgotten man (V) 
Roll on, Mississippi, roll on (V, P, lyr) 2pp 
*Rollin' on the river (V) 
*Room with a view, A (V) 
Sailing on the Robert E. Lee (V, lyr) 2pp 
*Say it (V) 
*Say it isn't so (V) 
*Says my heart (V) 
*Second hand rose (V) 
Sentimental gentleman from Georgia (lyr) 
*Shakin' the blues away (V) 
*She's a great great girl (V) 
*Shuffle off to Buffalo (V) 
*Side by side (V) 
*Sing baby sing (V) 
*Soft lights and sweet music (V) 
*Somebody loves you (V) 
*Sometimes I'm happy (V) 
*Soon (V) 
*Spell of the blues (V) 
*S'posin' (V) 
*St. Louis Gal (V) 
*Strangers (V) 
Strut Miss Lizzie (V) 2pp 
*Stumbling (V) 
*Sugar (Yellin) (Bix) (V) 
*Sugar (F. Henderson) (V) 
*Sugar blues (V) 
*Sunny side up (V) 
*Sunshine (V) 
*Sweepin' the clouds away (V) 
Sweet and hot (V, lyr) 2pp 
*Sweet man (V) 
*Sweethearts on parade (V) 
*Swingin' down the lane (V) 
*Tain't no sin (to dance around in your bones) (V) 
*Take your tomorow (Bix) (V) 
*Tea for two (V) 
*Tell me (V) (ODJB) 
*That old gang of mine (V) 
*That's my weakness now (V) 
*That's you baby (V) 
*Then you've never been blue (V) 
*There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight (V) 
*There's a cabin in the pines (V) 
*There's a rainbow 'round my shoulder (V) 
*Thinking of you (V) (Ruby-Kalmar) 
*Thou swell (V) (Bix record intro, end) 2pp 
Three little words (V, lyr) 2pp 
*Time on my hands (V) 
*Tip-toe through the tulips (V) 
*Twelfth Street rag (complete) 3pp 
*Varsity drag (V) 
*Waitin' at the end of the road (V) 
*Waitin' for Katy (V) 
*Walkin' my baby back home (V) 
*Was that the human thing to do (V) 
*Way I feel today (V) 
*We just couldn't say goodbye (V) 
*Wedding bells are breaking up that old gang of mine (V) 
*What a day (V) 
*What can I say after I say I'm sorry (V) 
What is there to say (lyr) 
*When day is done (V) 
*When Erastus plays his kazoo (V) 
*When I take my sugar to tea (V) 
*When my baby smiles at me (V) 
*When the midnight choo choo leaves for Alabam' (V) 
*When the moon shines on Coral Gables (V) 
*When the Robert E. Lee comes to town 2p 
*When you and I were young, Maggie blues (orig. tune, & "Blues" V, counter-melody} 2pp 
*When your lover has gone (V) 
*Where the shy little violets grow (V) 
Who (V, lyr) 2pp 
*Who walks in when I walk out (V) 
*Whose honey are you (V) 
Why do I love you (V) 2pp 
*Why was I born (V) 
*Willow weep for me (V) 
*Yankee doodle never went to town (V) 
*Yes we have no bananas (V) 
*You (V) 2pp 
*You don't like it, not much (V) 
You must have been a beautiful baby (lyr) 
Your feet's too big (lyr) 
*You're the cream in my coffee (V) 
*You're the top (V) 
*You've got that thing (V)
 
Main artist, composer and special category list.
Bing Crosby 
Did you ever see a dream walking 
Here lies love 
I found a million dollar baby 
I kiss your hand madame 
I'm playing with fire 
Just one more chance 
Louise 
Love is just around the corner 
One more time 

Annette Hanshaw 
Daddy won't you please come home 
I get the blues when it rains 
I'm a dreamer (aren't we all) 
It all depends on you 
Lovable and sweet 
Moanin' low 
My blackbirds are bluebirds now 
My sin 
That's you baby 
Thinking of you 

Al Jolson 
April showers 
Back in your own back yard 
I'm sittin' on top of the world 
There's a rainbow 'round my shoulder 
 

Cole Porter 
Let's do it 
Let's misbehave 
You're the top 
You've got that thing 

Fats Waller 
Ain'tcha' glad 
Baby Brown 
Concentratin' on you 
How can you face me 
I'm crazy 'bout my baby 
I've got a feeling I'm falling 
I've got my fingers crossed 
Joint is jumpin'  
My fate is in your hands 
Whose honey are you 
Your feet's too big 

Helen Kane 
Button up your overcoat 
Do something 
I wanna be loved by you 
I want to be bad 
I'd do anything for you 
That's my weakness now

Novelty tunes 
Cows may come cows may go 
Egyptian Ella 
Give me the Sultan's harem 
How could Red Riding Hood 
I wish't I was in Peoria 
I've got the yes we have no bananas blues 
I've never seen a straight banana 
Masculine women, feminine men 
Palesteena (,Lena from) 
Tain't no sin (to dance around in your bones) 
Yankee doodle never went to town 
Yes we have no bananas 
 

Sing-along tunes 
For me and my gal 
Gang that sang "Heart of my heart" 
Side by side 
Swingin' down the lane 
Wedding bells are breaking up that old gang of mine 
 

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Revised 1/4/08