Billy Murray: Top 100 Songs

First posted 11/26/2017; updated 5/25/2019.

Tenor singer known as “The Denver Nightingale.” Born William Thomas Murray on 5/25/1877 to Irish immigrants in Philadelphia, PA. His family moved to Denver, Colorado in 1882. Died 8/17/1954. His popularity lasted through the first quarter of the 20th century, a time when, what he called his “hammering” style of shouting into an acoustic recording horn, was the technology prior to the rise of the electric microphone, which ushered in the era of crooners.

He joined a vaudeville troupe in 1893 and performed in minstrel shows early in his career. He started recording regularly in New York in 1903. He became the definitive interpreter of George M. Cohan, recording the hit version of nearly every Cohan song from 1905 on. In addition to his solo recordings, he worked with the Haydn Quartet (1898-1914), Columbia Comedy Trio (1907), with Ada Jones (1907-22), American Quartet (1910-25?) and the Heidelberg Quintet (1911-15).

Murray has eight songs (“You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis,” “Yankee Doodle Boy,” “Casey Jones,” and “In My Merry Oldsmobile”) featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era, 1890-1953.

For a complete list of this act’s songs and albums honored by the DMDB, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry.

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Top 100 Songs

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Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards.

AQ = American Quartet, HQ = Haydn Quartet, AJ = Ada Jones. Songs which hit the top of the U.S. pop charts are noted (#1).

DMDB Top 1%:

1. You’re a Grand Old Flag (aka “The Grand Old Rag”) (1906) #1
2. Take Me Out to the Ball Game (w/ HQ, 1908) #1
3. Give My Regards to Broadway (1905) #1
4. By the Light of the Silvery Moon (w/ HQ, 1910) #1
5. Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis (1904) #1
6. Yankee Doodle Boy (1905) #1
7. Casey Jones (w/ AQ, 1910) #1
8. In My Merry Oldsmobile (1905) #1
9. Harrigan (1907) #1

10. Oh, You Beautiful Doll (w/ AQ, 1911) #1
11. Come Josephine in My Flying Machine (w/ AJ, 1911) #1
12. Pretty Baby (1916) #1
13. Cuddle Up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine (w/ AJ, 1908) #1
14. That Old Gang of Mine (w/ Ed Smalle, 1923) #1
15. Navajo (1904) #1
16. K-K-K-Katy (Stammering Song) (1918)
17. Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee (w/ AJ, 1912) #1

DMDB Top 5%:

18. Everybody Works But Father (1905) #1
19. Come Take a Trip in My Air Ship (1905) #1
20. Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk (w/ AJ, 1907) #1

21. I Love a Piano (1916) #1
22. Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1911)
23. Shine on, Harvest Moon (w/ AJ, 1909) #1
24. Under the Anheuser Busch (1904)
25. Alexander (Don’t You Love Your Baby No More?) (1904) #1
26. Under Any Old Flag at All (1908) #1
27. When We Are M-A-R-R-I-E-D (w/ AJ, 1908) #1
28. Teasing (I Was Only Teasing You) (1904)
29. Waltz Me Around Again, Willie (w/ HQ, 1906)
30. Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway (1906)

31. I’ll See You in C-U-B-A (1920)
32. He’d Have to Get Under, Get Out to Get Under, to Fix Up His Automobile (1914)
33. Play a Simple Melody (w/ Edna Brown, 1916)
34. Bedelia (1904) #1
35. Carrie (Carrie Marry Harry) (1910) #1
36. Make Believe (w/ AJ, 1908)
37. No Wedding Bells for Me (1907)
38. All Alone (w/ AJ, 1911)
39. Down by the O-hi-O (I’ve Got the Sweetest Little O, My! O!) (w/ Billy Jones, 1921)
40. Camptown Races (Gwine to Run All Night) (1911)

41. I’m Afraid to Come Home in the Dark (1908)
42. Cheyenne (Shy Anne) (1906)
43. The Gaby Glide (1912)
44. He’s a Devil in His Own Home Town (1914)
45. College Life (1906)
46. I’ve Taken Quite a Fancy to You (w/ AJ, 1908)
47. He Goes to Church on Sunday (1907)
48. Smarty (w/ AJ, 1908)
49. Over There (1917)
50. Wouldn’t You Like to Have Me for a Sweetheart? (w/ AJ, 1908) #1

51. Up in a Cocoanut Tree (1903)
52. When You’re All Dressed Up and No Place to Go (1914)
53. What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For? (w/ AJ, 1917)
54. It Looks Like a Big Night Tonight (1908)
55. For Me and My Gal (1917)
56. San Antonio (Cowboy Song) (1907)
57. What’s the Matter with Father? (1910)
58. Won’t You Be My Honey? (w/ AJ, 1907)
59. Bagdad (1913)
60. The Vamp (w/ Joseph C. Smith & Harry MacDonough, 1919)

61. They Were All Out of Step But Jim (1918)
62. I’m Awfully Glad I Met You (w/ AJ, 1909)
63. I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now (1910)
64. Tessie (You Are the Only Only) (1903)
65. I Can’t Do the Sum (1904)
66. On San Francisco Bay (1907)
67. Take Me Around Again (1907)
68. Not Because Your Hair Is Curly (1906)

DMDB Top 10%:

69. I Wish I Had a Girl (1909)
70. It Had to Be You (w/ Aileen Stanley, 1924)

71. Yes! We Have No Bananas (w/ Great White Way Orchestra, 1923)
72. Just As We Used To (1919)
73. There’s No Moon Like the Honeymoon (w/ AJ, 1908)
74. Any Place the Old Flag Flies (1912)
75. The Twentieth Century Rag (1914)
76. Alcoholic Blues (1919)
77. Take Me Up with You, Dearie (w/ HQ, 1909)
78. After You’ve Gone (w/ Gladys Rice, 1919)
79. Ain’t It Funny What a Difference a Few Hours Can Make (1904)
80. The Little Ford Rambled Right Along (1915)

81. Keep on Smiling (w/ HQ, 1908)
82. Streets of New York (1907)
83. Dance of the Grizzly Bear (w/ AQ, 1911)
84. Because I’m Married Now (1907)
85. Any Little Girl That’s a Nice Girl Is the Right Little Girl for Me (w/ the AQ, 1910)
86. The Wedding Glide (w/ AJ, 1912)
87. My Sweetie Went Away (w/ Ed Salle, 1923)
88. Bon Bon Buddy (1908)
89. The Game of Peek-a-Boo (I’d Like to See a Little More of You) (1907)
90. It’s Nice to Have a Sweetheart (w/ AJ, 1907)

91. Dixie Land, I Love You (1909)
92. Stumbling (1922)
93. Yankee Doodle Blues (w/ Ed Smalle, 1922)
94. It’s Great to Be a Soldier Man (1907)
95. Hello Hawaii, How Are You? (1916)
96. I Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight (w/ Henry Burr, 1926)
97. The Hat My Father Wore on St. Patrick’s Day (w/ HQ, 1909)
98. Hinky Dinky Parlay Voo (Mademoiselle from Armentieres) (w/ Ed Smalle, 1924)
99. Keep on the Sunny Side (1906)
100. Are You from Dixie? ‘Cause I’m from Dixie Too (w/ Irving Kaufman, 1916)

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Awards:

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100 years ago: Billy Murray hits #1 with “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis”

Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis Billy Murray

Writer(s): Arthur B. Sterling, Kerry Mills (see lyrics here) First Charted: July 23, 1904 Peak: 19 US, #12 GA, 14 SM, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: In 1904, the world shone a light on St. Louis. In celebration of the centential of the Louisiana Purchase, the U.S. “Gateway to the West” became the stage for two major parties – the World’s Fair and the third modern Olympic Games. “50 foreign countries and 43 states provided educational and scientific displays, although the majority of the exhibits were based on entertainment.” SM Composer Kerry Mills (“At a Georgia Camp Meeting,” “Red Wing”) and lyricist Andrew Sterling (“Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie,” “When My Baby Smiles at Me”) capitalized on the city’s popularity by penning what what would become the exposition’s theme song. RA According to Mills and Sterling, the idea for the song came when they ordered a drink called a Louis and had it served to them by a bartender named Louis. When Mills ordered another round, shouting out “Another Louie, Louie,” a song idea was born. TY2 They crafted a story of Flossie, a housewife who bolts for the World’s Fair in St. Louis, leaving a note behind for her husband, Louis. RCG He discovers, “The dresses that hung in the hall/ Were gone, she had taken them all/ She took all his rings/ And the rest of his things.” In her note, Flossie says, “We will dance the Hoochie-Koochie/ I will be your Tootsie-Wootsie/ If you will meet me in St. Louis, Louis/ Meet me at the Fair.” In an era when songs when commercial recordings were sometimes held off until sheet music sales proved a song’s worth, “Louis” enjoyed success on both fronts simultaneously. Certainly the timeliness of the event helped, but it also didn’t hurt that it was Billy Murray who crooned the tune. He was “the greatest star of the recording industry’s pioneer recording era.” SS His biographers said, “his greatest talent was casting himself as Everyman in his recordings…Murray [always] managed to come across as a member of the crowd…forging an empathetic bond with the average American citizen.” SS He took the song to #1 in 1904. That same year, S.H. Dudley and J.W. Myers went top 5 with their versions. Songs about famous events were commonplace then, but most had a short life. However, this song found its way into stage revues and “became a vaudeville standard in hundreds of acts.” RCG It was also featured in movies such as The Strawberry Blonde (1941) and By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953). Judy Garland immortalized the song when she performed it for the 1944 movie of the same name and took the song back to the charts, reaching #22. That same year, Guy Lombardo took it to #13. Resources: SM Sharon Mawer Charts (1900-1968) RA Theodore Raph (1964). The Songs We Sang: A Treasury of American Popular Music. A.S. Barnes and Co., Inc.: New York. Page 295. RCG RimChiGuy.com The Old Songs (1900-1929) SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Page 434. TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Page 23. Related Links: Last updated 12/16/2022.

William Studwell The Americana Song Reader

William Studwell: The Americana Song Reader

This book by William Studwell was published in 1997. Amazon.com describes it as “an entertaining and informative collection of over 130 historical essays on various American and foreign songs that have had a significant impact on U.S. popular culture.” The book is divided into sections including dancing songs, marching songs, rural and western songs, songs that excite or amuse, songs that soothe or bring tears, children’s songs, circus songs, drinking songs, and college songs. There is no ranking of the songs in the book, but I have created a top 100 ranking by putting the songs in order based on their overall status in Dave’s Music Database. Click here to see other lists from critics and individuals and here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations. 1. “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (1908) 2. “After the Ball” (1892) 3. “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis” (1904) 4. “When the Saints Go Marching In” (1880) 5. “The Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)” (1851) 6. “The Yellow Rose of Texas” (1853) 7. “Happy Birthday to You” (1893) 8. “Oh! Susanna” (1846) 9. “Home on the Range” (1873) 10. “Rhapsody in Blue” (1924) 11. “Turkey in the Straw” (1820) 12. “Listen to the Mocking Bird (aka “The Mocking Bird”)” (1855) 13. “Home Sweet Home” (1823) 14. “Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built for Two)” (1892) 15. “Camptown Races (Gwine to Run All Night)” (1850) 16. “Auld Lang Syne” (1799) 17. “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” (1894) 18. “The Sidewalks of New York” (1894) 19. “The Band Played On” (1895) 20. “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” (1893) 21. “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” (1706) 22. “My Old Kentucky Home” (1853) 23. “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” (1806) 24. “The Entertainer” (1902) 25. “Clementine” (1884) 26. “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” (1918) 27. “Jimmy Crack Corn (The Blue Tail Fly)” (1846) 28. “Rock-a-Bye Baby” (1884) 29. “My Wild Irish Rose” (1899) 30. “Stein Song (University of Maine)” (1910) 31. “The Man on the Flying Trapeze” (1867) 32. “The Arkansaw Traveler” (1863) 33. “Beautiful Ohio” (1918) 34. “Buffalo Gals (Will You Come Out Tonight)” (1844) 35. “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” (1852) 36. “Red River Valley” (1896) 37. “Mary Had a Little Lamb” (1830) 38. “The Missouri Waltz (Hush-a-Bye Ma Baby)” (1914) 39. “Beautiful Dreamer” (1864) 40. “I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair” (1854) 41. “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen” (1875) 42. “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” (1709) 43. “Three Blind Mice” (1609) 44. “Indiana” (1917) 45. “The Little Brown Jug” (1869) 46. “Brahms’ Lullaby (Wiegenlied)” (1868) 47. “Sing a Song of Sixpence” (1790) 48. “The Hokey Pokey” (1826) 49. “Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes” (1762) 50. “The Whiffenpoof Song” (1909) 51. “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” (1842) 52. “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” (1867) 53. “Vive la Compagnie (Vive l’Amour)” (1818) 54. “Git Along Little Dogies (Whoopee, Ti Yi Yo)” (1893) 55. “Give Me That Old Time Religion” (1965) 56. “Maryland, My Maryland!” (1861) 57. “The Streets of Laredo” (1911) 58. “Simple Gifts” (1848) 59. “William Tell Overture” (1829) 60. “Chopsticks” (1877) 61. “While Strolling Through the Park One Day (The Fountain in the Park)” (1884) 62. “The Blue Danube Waltz” (1867) 63. “The Big Rock Candy Mountain” (1928) 64. “Reuben and Rachel” (1871) 65. “March of the Toys” (1903) 66. “Jesse James” (1919) 67. “An American in Paris” (1929) 68. “The Merry Widow Waltz (I Love You So)” (1907) 69. “The Anvil Chorus” (1853) 70. “Mississippi Mud” 1927) 71. “Invitation to the Dance (Aufforderung Zum Tanze)” (1821) 72. “Sabre Dance” (1948) 73. “Romeo and Juliet” (1871) 74. “Flying Dutchman Overture” (1844) 75. “Green Grow the Lilacs” (1800) 76. On Wisconsin!” (1909) 77. “The Hearse Song (The Worm Crawls in, the Worm Crawls Out)” (1796) 78. “Drinking Song” (1953) 79. “Humoresque” (1894) 80. “Sleeping Beauty Waltz” (1890) 81. “There Is a Tavern in This Town” (1883) 82. “Flight of the Bumblebee” (1940) 83. “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” (1936) 84. “1812 Overture” (1880) 85. “Can Can” (1858) 86. “A Night on Bald Mountain” (1887) 87. “Dance of the Hours” (1905) 88. “Funeral March of a Marionette” (1879) 89. “Grand Canyon Suite” (1932) 90. Tales from the Vienna Woods” (1868) 91. “Light Cavalry Overture (Leichte Cavallerie)” (1869) 92. “Far Above Cayuga’s Waters” (1870) 93. “The Sorcerer's Apprentice (L’Apprenti Sorcier)” (1897) 94. “Toreador Song” (1875) 95. “Ride of the Valkyies” (1856) 96. “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2” (1921) 97. “Over the Waves” (1916) 98. “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” (1928) 99. “How Dry I Am” (1919) 100. “Peter and the Wolf” (1937) Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: lists from critics and individuals Dave’s Music Database: lists from publications and/or organizations William Studwell (3/14/1997). The Americana Song Reader. The Haworth Press, Inc.: Binghampton, NY. First posted 12/9/2025.