Bob (laughing out loud)

Now, Brian...
Don't agree with everything Graham said..

Cobber..

You're wrong about Izzy Balin !

He got his start as a performer in the joints in the Bowery..

Played them for years and was very good too.

It was there that he began writing songs for himself to perform..
Other singers along the Bowery began to approach him about writing songs for them..


By the time his songs appeared on Tin Pan Alley..(actually his early ones predate Tin Pan Alley) He had song publishers doing any necessary legwork.

Also...Berlin never, ever got paid from an artist doing his song.
Quite the opposite...
Songs were shopped TO ARTISTS by the publishers and the writers themselves.
I can't remember who sang Izzy's first big hit "Alexanders Ragtime Band" but I do know the song was in an Earl Carrols Vanities of around 1920 or so.
Artists who performed songs in these shows got presents from the publishers that ranged from cash to cars to unlimited access to showgirls.
Remember, there was no radio in those days and very few records..
Money was made on sheet music sales primarily.
an artist wrote songs for somebody elses show..he didn't write the show.
He made his money (the vast majority of it) from publishing...
If the show ran long on Broadweay the earnings could be substantial, but would never approach the money from sheet music sales..If you want to read a great book abnout early show business in general and Izzy Balin in particular, I recommend "As Thousands Cheer"

So..fellas...what you've done is give me to make an ideal example of my position..

Thank you so much !

And let me also say, for the record..that if my sole role in all of this is just to bring the two of you into agreement on ANYTHING....

Then my work here has been good work indeed !

Bob (still smiling) Young