"Doughboy Jack and Doughnut Jill" World War I song, 1919 Willie Eckstein ragtime Canadian WWI Canada

Описание: "Doughboy Jack and Doughnut Jill" is a song from the World War I era (1919 is part of that era).

Piano provided by Willi Eckstein

Singer is Geoffrey O'Hara

During World War I, Salvation Army workers served doughnuts to soldiers in an effort to keep morale high. These doughnuts were called doughboy donuts.

In this song, a Salvation Army doughnut cook, Jill, meets Jack on the French front.

After the war, Jack will build a house for Jill as in the nursery rhyme. The song's themes include duty, perseverance, and the promise of rewards upon returning home.

The song was composed by Gitz Rice, who was born in Nova-Scotia and educated in Montreal.

He had the nickname “Gitz” due to a limping gait.

We hear tenor Geoffrey O’Hara accompanied by pianist Willie Eckstein.

O’Hara was from Chatham, Ontario.

Montreal-born Willie Eckstein was known as “The Boy Paderewsky” and “Mr. Fingers."

This was recorded for the Montreal Berliner Gram-O-Phone company (that is what the label says) around 1919.

Willie Eckstein was a great piano player.

He was born on December 6, 1888, in Pointe St. Charles, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

He died on September 23, 1963, in Montreal.

Billed as the "Boy Paderewski," a young Eckstein toured Canada, the United States, and Europe. He was invited to perform for Theodore Roosevelt at the White House.

In 1910, Eckstein returned to Montreal and became an accompanist at the Lyric Music Hall before moving to the Strand Theater in 1912. He accompanied silent films and was known as "Mr. Fingers."

Eckstein was a ragtime composer. His works include "Perpetual Rag" and "Delirious Rag," both co-authored with Harry Thomas.