Dale Wimbrow


Peter Dale Wimbrow, usually known as Dale Wimbrow, was an American composer, radio artist and writer. He is best known for the poem, ', written in 1934. Earlier in his career, he created several musical recordings in the still-young recording industry, and was known as "The Del-Mar-Va Songster". He occasionally recorded with a quartet of musicians known as the "Rubeville Tuners", and he was also sometimes known as Peter Dale'''.

Biography

Early life and education

Peter Dale Wimbrow was born June 6, 1895, in Whaleyville, Maryland, the son of Nutter Jerome Wimbrow and Sallie Mary Wimbrow, née Dale. He studied at Western Maryland College until World War I, although no source can be supplied.

Career

Wimbrow's early career was in music and radio. Under his own name and as Old Pete Daley of Whaleysville, he became known for his records and radio performances with orchestras. His credits include a number of recordings in the 1920s, in which he performed as the solo vocalist, and often as his own accompanist. The majority of those songs were his own creation, and he began turning to songwriting almost exclusively in the later part of the decade. Perhaps his best-known musical composition was the 1930 jazz tune entitled "Accordion Joe". Played by Duke Ellington's band, it appeared that same year as the soundtrack to an animated short film of the same name, starring Betty Boop. The tune has appeared several times over the years in Duke Ellington compilation albums.
Wimbrow established the Indian River News newspaper in June 1948. It was published until September 1966, 12 years after his death in 1954, carried on by his wife.

The Guy in the Glass

Wimbrow wrote The Guy in the Glass for publication in The American Magazine in 1934. It is often mistitled The Man In The Glass. The poem became a popular clipping passed between people, and the author's credit was often dropped, leading to inquiries as to the author in newspapers as early as 1938.
Ann Landers printed the poem in her column on October 5, 1983, incorrectly attributing it to an anonymous man who died as a result of struggles with drug abuse. Landers received numerous letters that attributed or claimed different authorship of the poem, but only one of the letters published in her December 5, 1983, column correctly identified the author as Wimbrow and it was credited by Ann Landers as the true author.

Marriage and children

Wimbrow married Dorothy Livezy, a radio writer and producer. The couple had two children, Sally Dale Wimbrow and Peter Dale Wimbrow, Jr.

Death and afterward

Peter Dale Wimbrow died on January 26, 1954, in Sebastian, Florida and was interred at Dale Cemetery in Whaleyville, Maryland.
Dale Wimbrow Park, in Roseland, Florida, is named in his honor.

Dale Wimbrow in popular culture

The poem, The Guy in The Glass, was famously recited by Nigel Adkins, manager of Southampton Football Club in October 2012 during an interview with BBC South following a 4–1 defeat to West Ham United.

Published works

Print

Song TitlePerforming ArtistYear RecordedLabelRole / Notes
"Rock-a-bye Baby Days"Dale Wimbrow

1925Victor Talking
Machine Company
male vocal solo, ukulele
"Country Bred and Chicken Fed"Dale Wimbrow
and his Rubeville Tuners		1926Edison Records
Diamond Disc 11346
Blue Amberol Records 5276		male vocal solo, ukulele ;
Released on diamond disc and phonograph cylinder;
Digitized and available to
"So Long North "Dale Wimbrow Rubeville Tuners1926Edisonvocal solo, ukulele, songwriter;
Digitized and .
"Sleepy Town"Dale Wimbrow Rubeville Tuners1926Victorvocal solo, songwriter
"Shake That Thing"Original Indiana Five1926Victorvocal solo
"Uncle Hezekiah"Dale Wimbrow1926Victorvocal solo, ukulele
"Strutting at the Funny Paper Ball"1926songwriter
"From Midnight Till Dawn"Johnny Marvin1927Victorsongwriter
"Old Fashioned Locket"Johnny Marvin1927Victorsongwriter
"Oshkosh"Dale Wimbrow Rubeville Tuners1927Columbia Phonograph Companyvocal solo, ukulele, songwriter
"Roll Right Off'a My Green"Dale Wimbrow Rubeville Tuners1927Columbiavocal solo, ukulele, songwriter
"Oshkosh"Dale Wimbrow Rubeville Tuners1928Edisonvocal solo, ukulele, songwriter
"Roll Right Off'a My Green"Dale Wimbrow Rubeville Tuners1928Edisonvocal solo, ukulele, songwriter
"Black Sheep Blues"Dale Wimbrow1928Victorvocal solo, ukulele
"Think of Me, Thinking of You"Johnny Marvin1928Victorsongwriter
"Wife o'Mine"Ernest Hare1928Victorcomposer
"Wife o'Mine"Charles W. Harrison1928Edisoncomposer
"I Got Religion"Rollickers1928Edisonsongwriter
"The County Fair in Delaware"Dale Wimbrow1928Columbia;
"Del-Mar-Va Special Record" private label		vocal solo, songwriter;
Digitized and .
"The Good Old Eastern Shore"Dale Wimbrow1928Columbia;
"Del-Mar-Va Special Record" private label		vocal solo, songwriter;
Digitized and .
"Think of Me, Thinking of You"Piccadilly Players1929Edisonsongwriter
"Every Moon's a Honeymoon "Rudy Vallée and the Connecticut Yankees1929Victorlyricist
"Plucky Lindy's Lucky Day"Vernon Dalhart1929Victorsongwriter
"Plucky Lindy's Lucky Day"High Hatters1929Victorsongwriter
"That's What I Call Heaven"Gene Austin1929Victorsongwriter
"That's What I Call Heaven"Leo Reisman Orchestra;
Ran Weeks		1929Victorsongwriter
"That's What I Call Heaven"Rollickers1929Edisonsongwriter
"Goodness Gracious, Gracie"Billy Murray & Walter Scanlan1929Edisonsongwriter
"Accordion Joe"Jack Teagarden / Cornell & his Orchestra1930
Jazz Oraclecomposer ;
Released in 2006 on 1930 Studio Sessions
"Accordion Joe"Duke Ellington1930variouscomposer