John Rox
John Rox | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Arthur Barber July 21, 1902 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | August 5, 1957 (aged 55) Davis Park, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | John Jefferson Herring |
| Occupation(s) | Composer and lyricist |
| Spouse | Alice Pearce |
John Jefferson Rox (July 21, 1902 – August 5, 1957)[citation needed] was an American composer and lyricist.
He wrote music for Broadway shows and the recording industry. His song "It's a Big Wide Wonderful World" (1939) was used in the soundtrack of multiple films. His holiday tune "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" (1953) was a popular family-entertainment song, originally sung by ten-year-old Gayla Peevey. Many other artists also covered it.
Early life
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg?lang=en){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2025) |
John Arthur Barber was born on July 21, 1902, in Des Moines, Iowa, the only child of Arthur Grant Barber (1881-1948) and Ina Maureen (Dollie) Brown (1876-1942). His parents were married on September 7, 1901, but eventually divorced. His mother then remarried on April 3, 1907, to Earl Granville Herring, and bore two more sons, Donald Granville Herring and Robert Eugene Herring. Upon her remarriage, her eldest son John Arthur Barber was renamed John Jefferson Herring. Years later, upon entering the music business, John adopted the stage name "John Jefferson Rox".
Career
[edit]The first song that he wrote and copyrighted was "Weep No More, Willow" in 1938.[1] The following year, he wrote and copyrighted "It's a Big Wide Wonderful World" (1939).[2] It has been used in the soundtrack of several different films over the span of over fifty years.[3]
The song premiered in All in Fun (1940) on Broadway, of which he was the lyricist for the show. Walter Cassel and Wynn Murray introduced the song.[4] The show had opened at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway and featured Imogene Coca as a cast member.[5]
Major films with "It's a Big Wide Wonderful World" in the soundtrack
[edit]| Film Title | Year |
|---|---|
| An Angel Comes to Brooklyn | 1945 |
| Rhythm Inn | 1951 |
| 3 Ring Circus | 1954 |
| Sweet Bird of Youth | 1962 |
| A Safe Place | 1971 |
| Rancho Deluxe | 1975 |
| Avalon | 1990 |
| Rover Dangerfield | 1991 |
In 1946, he wrote the song "Ridin' Double" for the soundtrack of the 1946 Western film Sioux City Sue starring Gene Autry.[6][7]
He later wrote "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" (1953) with Peevey singing the original version. It was a popular song with thirty-nine artists singing the cover for it.[8]
That same year, he was one of several songwriters and lyricists for the Broadway show John Murray Anderson's Almanac (1953).[9]
The following year, he and fellow songwriter and lyricist from the show, Michael Grace, wrote the song "Let a Little Time Go By" (1954).[10]
In 1956, he and Dean Fuller wrote the music for New Faces of 1956, which premiered at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway with Maggie Smith and Jane Connell as cast members.[11][12]
Theatre work
[edit]| Title | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| All in Fun | 1940 | composer and lyricist |
| John Murray Anderson's Almanac | 1953 | composer and lyricist |
| New Faces of 1956 | 1956 | composer |
Personal life
[edit]In 1948, he married actress Alice Pearce. They had no children. Pearce was Gladys Kravitz in the 1960s television situation comedy Bewitched.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "U.S. Copyright Office Public Records System". publicrecords.copyright.gov. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Copyright Office Public Records System". publicrecords.copyright.gov. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ a b "John Rox | Writer, Soundtrack". IMDb. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ "It's a Big Wide Wonderful World". lyricsplayground.com. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ "All in Fun". Playbill.
- ^ "Sioux City Sue". It's Showtime! Sheet Music from Stage and Screen. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ "Sioux City Sue (1946) – Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ "John Rox". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ "John Rox". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ "WebVoyage Record View 1". cocatalog.loc.gov. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ "New Faces of 1956". Playbill.
- ^ "New Faces of '56 – Original Cast". The Official Masterworks Broadway Site. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
- ^ "Reading Eagle - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
External links
[edit]- John Rox at IMDb
- John Rox at the Internet Broadway Database
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1907 births
- 1957 deaths
- 20th-century American male musicians
- 20th-century American male writers
- 20th-century American songwriters
- 20th-century people from New York (state)
- American male songwriters
- American musical theatre lyricists
- Broadway composers and lyricists
- Composers from New York City
- Musicians from Des Moines, Iowa
- Musicians from Manhattan
- Songwriters from Iowa
- Songwriters from New York (state)