July/August 2007
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Bulletin of the Kenton County Historical Society Website: www.kenton.lib.ky.us/~histsoc Email: [email protected] P.O. Box 641, Covington, Kentucky 41012-0641 (859) 431-2666 July / August 2007 I Bet You Didn’t Know Upcoming Programs Tidbits of Northern Kentucky History First we have to define what is The Behringer-Crawford Museum is hosting their ninth annual Coffee Cup called the “population center.” Concert Series. Below is a list of the remaining shows. All concerts are held on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. Admission ranges from $5 - $15 per concert. Lets say everyone in the country For additional information, contact the Museum. weighed the same, say 150 pounds. Next have everyone go home and July 5 – Gallatin County Youth Bluegrass Band – Amazing pickers & grinners! sit down for just one second. Now July 12 - Cheryl Renee Blues Band – Goddess of Blues at last year’s Blues Fest peel up the country and put it on a July 19 – Tropicoso – Salsa lessons not included, but your feet will make you sway! needle. You’ll have to move the July 26 – Juggernaut Jug Band – Most requested returning favorite act by far! needle around, but when you get to that spot where the country bal- Behringer-Crawford Museum ances, that’s the population center. 1600 Montague Road - Devou Park Covington, KY 41011 The government tracks this http://www.bcmuseum.org data and in 1880, the population (859) 491-4003 center of the United States was right in our own backyard. An his- torical marker is there to proof it. The marker is located at the September 11, 2007 7:00 PM “Airplane Viewing Area” along Donaldson Road near the North- ern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati The Kenton County Historical Society will hold its Annual Meet- International Airport. ing for election of officers by Society members. Nominations will be taken up to the time of election for a President, Vice-president, Secre- Kentucky Place Names, Robert M. Rennick tary, Treasurer and two directors. Annually two of the six directors are elected to three year terms. Every other year a Treasurer is elected for Published bi-monthly by a two year term. The Kenton County Historical Society Members are encouraged to attend and participate in nominations President………...………………….Ronnin Einhaus Vice-President……..…….……….. Donald Fowler and the election. The public also is invited to the election and to the Treasurer……………..…….…. W. Terry Averbeck special program. John Boh, long time officer and charter member of Secretary…………..………...……….…..John H. Boh the Society, will recall highlights of the 30 year history of this great or- Board Members: ganization. George Gressle, Richard Johannemann, Karl Lietzenmayer, Mary Elise Regan, Edward Whitehead and Robert Webster (Bulletin Editor) ARTICLES FROM BACK ISSUES ARE INDEXED ON OUR WEBSITE! Haven Gillespie Covington’s Famed Songwriter James Lamont Haven Gillespie’s life was a true American success story. Born on February 6, 1888, Haven was one of nine children of William and Anna Gillespie. The family was considered poor by any standard and lived in the basement of a house on Third Street between Madison Avenue and Rus- sell Street. Haven dropped out of school in the fourth grade and, not surprisingly, could not find a job. His older sister, Lillian, had married a man in the print- ing business named John Hewling and the couple moved to Chicago. Lillian had written Haven that there was a job waiting for him there and that he could live with them. In 1902, young Haven left his Covington home to join his sister and brother-in-law. A few years later, Haven began corresponding to a childhood sweetheart back in Covington. In 1908, he proposed marriage to Corene Parker by way of a postcard and shortly received a positive reply. The couple married on March 9, 1909, in Corene’s Covington home. She was 19 and Haven was 21. He had fifteen dollars in his pocket and she had just one James Lamont Haven Gillespie dollar given to her by her mother. Courtesy the Kenton County Public Library Haven soon landed a job as a typesetter for cents for each piece of sheet music sold, total royalties the Cincinnati Times-Star, ultimately maintaining his which amounted to only a few dollars over the next membership in the International Typographic Union several years. until his death. More importantly for Haven, he found work as a “plug” man, entertaining audiences While touring to promote his songwriting, at local vaudeville shows by playing and singing songs Haven began drinking heavily and would struggle he had written. with alcohol addiction most of his life. At age 23 and after a long night of drinking, Haven met Joe Ford, a His first break came in 1911 when he met printer with the Cincinnati Tribune. Ford took Haven Roy Steventon, performing with Mildred Lovejoy in a home to sober up and the two men eventually devel- dancing act at the Keith Theater in Cincinnati. Ha- oped a lifelong friendship. ven and Steventon teamed up on three songs for the act, “You’re Just The Girl I’ve Met In My Dreams”, Haven’s first major hit came in early 1925 “When I Am Gone”, and “Winter Time Is Coming with “Drifting and Dreaming.” Many of Haven’s Around Too Soon.” Haven was paid one and a half songs were inspired by chance moments in his life. 2 In the winter of 1925, he witnessed a few hobos at an have enough money to have his shoes re-soled. He Ohio train station bound for Florida. He watched also remembered that he desperately wanted a drink them for a few minutes, admiring their carefree life- that day, but for some reason chose to pass on the style and soon had the words for one of his biggest intoxicant. hits, “Breezin’ Along With The Breeze.” “By The Sycamore Tree”, followed in 1931, which he co-wrote Haven went to one end of the subway car and with frequent collaborator Dick Whiting. Coots to the other. They both scanned people’s faces and overhead advertisements, looking for an idea for Haven’s favorite tavern in Covington was a song. Coots also called out street names as they Kern Aylward’s, located at 6th and Main Streets passed, all in a futile effort for inspiration. Suddenly, (today the Cock and Bull). Whenever there, he memories of his own childhood Christmases came would sit at the piano and sing his many songs for flooding back and Haven remembered something his the crowd. One night in 1936, after entertaining the mother used to say when he was a little boy growing local patrons, Haven took a seat at the bar and wrote up in Covington. “You better wash behind your ears another one of his hits, “You Go To My Head.” This or Santa won’t come to see you. You better be good!” one song alone would eventually be performed by such artists as Doris Day, Lena Horne, Louis Arm- Haven pulled out an old envelope from his strong, Count Basie, Rosemary Clooney, Bing pocket and began scribbling. “You better watch out, Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Billy Holliday, you better not cry, better not pout, I’m telling you Linda Ronstadt, and Frank Sinatra. why….. Santa Claus is coming to town.” By the end of the subway ride — only fifteen-minutes in length, In was two years earlier, however, in October Haven had completed his masterpiece. Later that of 1934, that Haven Gillespie realized the turning day, Coots composed the tune to accompany what point in his career. Edgar Bittner, manager of Leo would become Gillespie’s most treasured song lyrics. Feist, Inc., Haven’s music publisher, asked that he When the duo called the publisher and played the write a children’s song for the upcoming Christmas song over the telephone, he knew it would be a huge season. Haven, however, was still in shock over his success. younger brother Irwin’s death just three days earlier and was also struggling with a little-known fear of fail- “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” was first ure. introduced on Eddie Cantor’s 1943 Thanksgiving Show and was an instant hit. Within weeks its sheet “A songwriter is like a race horse,” he was music was selling in excess of 25,000 copies a day. fond of saying, “If they bet on you once and you The song would later be recognized by the ASCAP loose, they won’t bet on you again.” Haven told Bitt- (American Society of Composers, Authors and Pub- ner there simply was not enough time to compose lishers) as one of the most performed “standards” such a song before the holiday. Bittner, however, did ever written. At last count, 112 different artists have not take no for an answer, citing other children’s “covered” the song. A few of the more famous in- songs Gillespie had written including, “Tin Pan Pa- clude: the Andrews Sisters, Paul Anka, Gene Autry, rade”, “Sleepy Town Express”, and “Sweetest Little the Beach Boys, Tony Bennett, the Carpenters, Perry Kid.” Como, Harry Connick, Jr., Neil Diamond, Burl Ives, Brenda Lee, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, Mitch Accompanied by his friend and long-time mu- Miller, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Frank Sinatra, sic composer, J. Fred Coots, Haven left the Feist of- and Cincinnati-born Andy Williams. fices in New York City on that rainy day and the pair walked a few blocks to catch the subway at the Eighth In August 1938, the wonderful amphitheater Avenue station. Haven later remembered that the at Covington’s Devou Park was the scene of one of dampness seeped through the piece of paper he had Haven Gillespie’s greatest triumphs.