The Moon Shines on the Moonshine

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The Moon Shines on the Moonshine is a song by Francis De Witt (lyrics) and Robert Hood Bowers (music).[1] It was performed by Bert Williams in Ziegfeld Follies and recorded on an album.[2] Shapiro Bernstein and Co. published sheet music for the song in 1920 in New York City.[3][4]

Williams appears on the songsheet cover in blackface.[5] The Library of Congress and New York Public Library have copies of it.[6][7] Columbia Graphaphone Company released it on the B side of an album with the song "Somebody" by Williams.[8] Paramount / New York Recording Laboratories also released it.[9] Sidney Phillips recorded it on Victor Records.[10]

In 1919, Williams also performed Irving Berlin's "You Cannot Make Your Shimmy Shake on Tea", and the Follies that year included other prohibition and alcohol imbibing related songs.[11]

Legacy[edit]

The song has been included in several compilations over the years.[12][13][14] Robert Meijer curated a 2007 art exhibition using the song title as a theme.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Collection: "The Moon Shines on the Moonshine" Sheet Music | SCOUT". scout.lib.utk.edu.
  2. ^ ""The Moon Shines on the Moonshine"". National Museum of American History.
  3. ^ ""The Moon Shines on the Moonshine / music by Robert Hood Bowers; words " by Robert Hood Bowers, Francis De Witt et al".
  4. ^ "098.151 - The Moon Shines on the Moonshine. Song. | Levy Music Collection". levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu.
  5. ^ Maslon, Laurence (August 3, 2018). Broadway to Main Street: How Show Tunes Enchanted America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-983254-5 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "The moon shines on the moonshine". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.
  7. ^ "The moon shines on the moonshine". NYPL Digital Collections.
  8. ^ "Bert Williams - Somebody / The Moon Shines On The Moonshine". July 6, 1920 – via www.discogs.com.
  9. ^ "The moon shines on the moonshine - UWDC - UW-Madison Libraries". search.library.wisc.edu.
  10. ^ via https://www.ebay.com/itm/323828275101
  11. ^ Hurwitz, Nathan (June 27, 2014). A History of the American Musical Theatre: No Business Like It. Routledge. ISBN 9781317912057 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ "Collection captures Robinson's special knack for spotting the acts". Richmond Times-Dispatch. 1993-03-18. p. 61. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  13. ^ "A historical trek down the street of dreams". The Los Angeles Times. 2004-10-31. p. 100. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  14. ^ "In just a century, music has come a long way". Standard-Speaker. 1999-11-21. p. 49. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  15. ^ Fokidis, Marina (March 3, 2007). "When the Moon Shines on the Moonshine" – via www.frieze.com.
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