Gussie Lord Davis (December 3, 1863 – October 18, 1899) was an American songwriter born in Dayton, Ohio.^[1][2] Davis was one of America's earliest successful African-American music artists, the first black songwriter to become famous on Tin Pan Alley as a composer of popular music.^[3][4]

Gussie Davis received musical training at the Nelson Musical College in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his application was rejected due to the color of his skin. Instead, he worked as a janitor at a low wage in exchange for private lessons.^[4] His first song was published in 1880, "We Sat Beneath the Maple on the Hill"; Davis published it himself, paying a local printer $20, and sold enough copies to make his money back plus a little more.^[1] He continued his songwriting efforts with increasing success, publishing many songs and attracting attention, including that of Cincinnati publisher and would-be lyricist, George Propheter.^[4][a]

In 1886, when Propheter branched out his business to New York and Tin Pan Alley, Davis went with him.^[1][5] He worked steadily, performing as well as writing songs, and making a name for himself.^[b] By 1895, he was sufficiently well known to be selected to compete in a contest sponsored by the New York World to find the ten best songwriters in the nation; he placed second with his song, "Send Back the Picture and the Ring", and won a prize of $500 in gold.^[5] He performed as a pianist in venues such as Bergen Star Concerts^[2] and toured with minstrel groups including his own Davis Operatic and Plantation Minstrels.^[7]

Davis wrote a variety of musical forms, including sentimental ballads, comic minstrel songs, art songs, and choral music.^[7] He was best known in his own time for his "tear-jerkers".^[1][4] One of these was "Fatal Wedding" (1893), his first national hit; Davis composed the music, a waltz, while the words are credited to William H. Windom, a well-known ballad singer.^[8] Another tear-jerker was "In the Baggage Coach Ahead", Davis's most commercially successful composition, selling over a million copies.^[1][c] The success of "In the Baggage Coach" was fueled by the popular female vaudeville singer, Imogene Comer, who made it part of her regular repertoire.^[4][9]

An April 1899 article in The Freeman reported that Davis had purchased a home in Whitestone, New York and that he was recovering from a serious illness.^[2] In August of that year, press releases indicated he would appear in A Hot Old Time in Dixie, going on the road in the coming season; this musical farce was Davis's property with Tom McIntosh.^[2] On October 18, 1899, Davis died at home in Whitestone.^[2]

At the time of his death, Gussie Davis had published more than three hundred songs^[2] and certainly left more in manuscript.

• "We Sat Beneath The Maple on the Hill" (1880)
• "Light House by the Sea" (1886)
• "Little Footsteps in the Snow" (1886)^[d]
• "Wait Till the Tide Comes In" (1887), words by George Propheter
• "Why Does Papa Stay So Late?" (1889)
• "Fatal Wedding" (1893), words by William H. Windom
• "Only a Bowery Boy" (1894), words by Charles B. Ward
• "Down in Poverty Row" (1895), music by Arthur Trevelyan
• "In the Baggage Coach Ahead" (1896)^[9]
• "She Waited at the Altar in Vain" (1897)
• "Only a Nigger Baby" (1897)^[11]
• "My Creole Sue" (1898)
• "He Is Coming to Us Dead"^[e] (1899)^[9]

Also notable is Davis's "Irene, Good Night" (1886), which entered the folk song repertoire, albeit significantly altered, as "Goodnight, Irene" in Negro Folk Songs as Sung by Lead Belly (1936).^[8][13]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gussie Davis.

• Works by Gussie Davis at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
• Early recordings of Gussie Davis songs, Discography of American Historical Recordings, University of California, Santa Barbara
• "Tear Jerkers in American Song", at The Parlor Songs Academy
• Free scores by Gussie Davis at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)