The Tunesmith: The Musical Journey of M.K. Jerome

Gary May's The Tunesmith brings to vivid life the sights and sounds . . . of M.K. Jerome, whose songs become a sort of time capsule for vital American musical and cultural history, from Tin Pan Alley to early Hollywood to World War II patriotic blockbusters. This is a beautifully researched and rendered story, not only about a moment in American music, but also a cherished relationship between a lifelong tunesmith and his grandson. — Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor, State, and author of Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America As an animation historian, I'm so pleased to have such a wonderful resource to one of Warner Bros. most prolific songwriters, whose work, by extension, appears and is immortalized in so many Warner cartoon shorts. So many Jerome tunes are burned into my brain, and the stories behind them are so wonderfully told. Gary May makes it as easy as "rolling off a log." — Jerry Beck, author of The Warner Brothers Cartoons (with Will Friedwald) and other works on American cartoon history I'm a sucker for stories of old-time show business, and this book has plenty of good ones. If you love Tin Pan Alley and Hollywood's Golden Age, you'll find a lot to enjoy in The Tunesmith. — Leonard Maltin, film critic and historian With its beautiful balance of well-informed historical research and absorbing narrative prose, The Tunesmith both enlightened and informed me. Bravo to May on this achievement. — Katherine Spring, associate professor of English and film studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, and author of Saying It With Songs: Popular Music and the Coming of Sound to Hollywood Cinema This is a story of the Great American Songbook and the Golden Age of Film, told through the discerning eyes of the grandson of M.K. Jerome, one of the forgotten greats. — Larry Tye, author of Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy and Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon Thoroughly exceeded my expectations. . . . It reads like a documentary. It's cinematic. I visualize stills and motion pictures on a screen, with narration. . . . The final chapter of [May's] life with his grandfather is a healthy mix of charming, amusing, and wistful. Loved it. — Alex Hassan, pianist and entertainer