Biography
Lucien Denni
French-American composer, songwriter, pianist and conductor.
Born 23 December 1886 in Nancy, France.
Died 20 August 1947 in Hermosa Beach, California, USA.
Husband of American songwriter & frequent co-writer Gwynne Denni.
Denni was educated at Columbia College, and a music student of Andrew Brown. He was a pianist in vaudeville and night club orchestras, and later, conductor of the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra and music director of the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York. He wrote the stage score for "Happy Go Lucky", and composed for films, including cartoons.
His father Martin Denni was a humorist and comedian and brought Lucien to America when Lucien was 3, quickly introducing him to the theatrical and musical world in New York City. One of Lucien's boyhood friends was Irving Berlin, both growing up on the Lower East side.
Before Denni was out of his teens he was directing and playing the piano in Tony Pastor's old theatre on Fourteenth Street. He made his professional debut as a pianist at sixteen. At seventeen he became the musical director on the Proctor Circuit. He went west to Kansas City, touring with some musical plays and writing his famous "Oceana Roll".
He moved further west to California with his wife, composing musical comedies and writing scores a vaudeville acts. He also directed orchestras along the way including the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City.
He charted three times in the U.S. including twice with the song "Oceana Roll" in 1911, first by Eddie Morton, when it hit #5 and then by Arthur Collins, when it hit #4. The song was co-written by Roger Lewis. He also charted in 1925 with "You're Just a Flower from an Old Bouquet" by Vincent Lopez & His Orchestra, which hit #8 (co-written by his wife).
Born 23 December 1886 in Nancy, France.
Died 20 August 1947 in Hermosa Beach, California, USA.
Husband of American songwriter & frequent co-writer Gwynne Denni.
Denni was educated at Columbia College, and a music student of Andrew Brown. He was a pianist in vaudeville and night club orchestras, and later, conductor of the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra and music director of the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York. He wrote the stage score for "Happy Go Lucky", and composed for films, including cartoons.
His father Martin Denni was a humorist and comedian and brought Lucien to America when Lucien was 3, quickly introducing him to the theatrical and musical world in New York City. One of Lucien's boyhood friends was Irving Berlin, both growing up on the Lower East side.
Before Denni was out of his teens he was directing and playing the piano in Tony Pastor's old theatre on Fourteenth Street. He made his professional debut as a pianist at sixteen. At seventeen he became the musical director on the Proctor Circuit. He went west to Kansas City, touring with some musical plays and writing his famous "Oceana Roll".
He moved further west to California with his wife, composing musical comedies and writing scores a vaudeville acts. He also directed orchestras along the way including the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City.
He charted three times in the U.S. including twice with the song "Oceana Roll" in 1911, first by Eddie Morton, when it hit #5 and then by Arthur Collins, when it hit #4. The song was co-written by Roger Lewis. He also charted in 1925 with "You're Just a Flower from an Old Bouquet" by Vincent Lopez & His Orchestra, which hit #8 (co-written by his wife).