Maurice Gunsky #1 Heart Throbs Radio Shows Album 205A
Maurice Jacob Gunsky was born August 10, 1888 in Petaluma, California to Joseph and Fannie Gunsky, immigrants from Russian Poland. His father who worked as a tailor in San Francisco, died when Maurice was twelve. The 1930 biographical encyclopedia "California and Californians," explains that because of his parents' early deaths he had go to work to support his family. First becoming a printer's apprentice, then pressman who was a member of the San Francisco Printing Pressman's Union No. 24 -- an unlikely background for a successful singer and songwriter. This source further noted that he "has struggled to recognition and fame in the musical world under the spur of poverty and limited opportunities."
His first notice in the San Francisco Chronicle suggested that Maurice was a practicing Jew, telling of his performance as a tenor at a performance for B'rith Abraham in San Francisco in 1909. While he was terrorized by stage fright, keeping him off the stage for many years, he showed ability as a vocalist. Songwriting was his next venture primarily writing lyrics, often with composer Nat Goldstein, a San Francisco theatre impresario. One of their first collaborations was with the song "My 'Kewpie' Doll" written 1914 catering to the fad for dolls at the time. The lyrics are not outstanding ("I've got the cutest little pet that any one get, / And he's my fav-'rite chum, because he's never glum") A prolific stream of songs followed, over the neaxt twenty years, "That Haunting Waltz" recorded by Joseph M. Knecht and Waldorf-Astoria Dance Orchestra in 1921, "Honolulu Blues" recorded by the Oriole Terrace Orchestra in 1922, Jack Chapman and his Hotel Drake Orchestra in 1923, and Cole McElroy's Spanish Ballrom Band in 1927, the New Orleans Black Birds in 1928, and Red Nichols and the Five Pennies in 1931. "Alone in Lonesome Valley" was recorded as "Lonesome Valley" by Glen Rice and his Beverly Hill Billies, and Gunsky himself recorded it around 1940 on the Peerless label. "Linger Longer" was recorded by the Graham Prince Palais D'Or Orchestra in 1932. I have included his 1921 song "Sleepy Head" by the Peerless Wuartet as the last track in this volume. Maurice opted for performing on radio and during the twenties was the number one vocal star in the early days of Bay Area radio broadcasting. I have had the fortune of posessing a number of radio transcriptions of the "Heart Throbs Radio Show. You'll find episodes 22, 23, 28,29, 33 and 34 on this disc~ Mickey Clark
Maurice Gunsky #1 Heart Throbs Radio Shows Recorded 1921 - 1930 205A
Show 22-I'm Drifting Back To Dreamland(CHARLESWORTH-HARRISON-SADLER)/When I Look To The West(BROWN-TAGGART) / When It's Springtime In The
Rockies(BROWN-TAGGART)/Out Of The Dusk(LEE)/Song Without A Name(BENEE RUSSELL)
Show 23-There'll Always Be Room In My Heart For You(GUNSKY-BORIES)/ Old New England Moon(VANCE-HOWARD)/
That Tumble Down Shack In Athlone(PASCOE-CARLO-SANDERS)/ When Irish Eyes Are Smiling(OLCOTT)/ Lay My Head Beneath A Rose(MADISON-FALKENSTEIN)
Show 28-I'll Always Be In Love With You(RUBY-GREEN-STEPT)/ Heart Of My Heart(RYAN)/ That Little Log Cabin In The Lane(HAYS-HAYS)/ Rio Rita(MCCARTHY-TIERNEY)/ I Remember You From Somewhere(LESLIE-WARREN)
Show 29-Paradise(ZAMECNIK-KERR)/ Pagan Love Song(FREED-BROWN)/ Venecia(UNKNOWN)/ That Old Irish Mother Of Mine(JEROME-VON TILZER)
Show 33-When You Think A Whole Lot(HOWARD-VINCENT)/ An Old Guitar And An Old Refrain(KAHN-BLACK-MORET)/ The Garden Of Tomorrow(GRAFF-DEPPEN)/ Killarney Roses(GUNSKY)
SLEEPY HEAD PEERLESS QUARTET VIC 18786 05/19/21 25311 GUNSKY-BROWN-HILL
LAY MY HEAD BENEATH A ROSE VIC 20051 05/01/26 PBVE-194 MADISON-FALKENSTEIN Available Options:
Compact Disc: Ship
