Music / Theatre & dance / Visual art
Gene Buck
1885–1957 · lyricist, sheet music illustrator, producer, ASCAP president
Corktown-raised illustrator and lyricist who wrote for the Ziegfeld Follies, discovered Will Rogers and Ed Wynn for Broadway and led ASCAP from 1925 to 1942.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan- Died
aged 71- Birth name
- Edward Eugene Buck
- Detroit years
- 1885–1900s
- Field
- Music, Theatre & dance, Visual art
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Buck was born in Detroit in 1885 and grew up in Corktown, the city's old Irish neighborhood. He studied at the Detroit Art Academy, founded by the painters Joseph Gies and Francis Paulus, and began his career designing sheet music covers for publishers such as Detroit's own Jerome H. Remick, with a flair for Art Nouveau and Art Deco; the illustrator Dean Cornwell called him the first artist he ever copied. By 1910 he was writing lyrics with the composer Dave Stamper, and failing eyesight soon ended his illustration work. He became Florenz Ziegfeld's right hand, writing sketches and lyrics for the Ziegfeld Follies from 1912 to 1926, creating the Midnight Frolics and scouting talent; he gave Will Rogers his chance at topical humor and discovered Ed Wynn. He wrote about 500 songs, produced his own musical, Take the Air, and as president of ASCAP from 1925 to 1942 fought for songwriters' royalties as radio took over.
Highlights
- Grew up in Detroit's Corktown; studied at the Detroit Art Academy
- Designed sheet music covers, including for Detroit publisher Jerome H. Remick
- Wrote for the Ziegfeld Follies (1912–1926) and created the Midnight Frolics
- President of ASCAP, 1925–1942