Ernest R. Ball

Ernest Roland Ball (July 22, 1878 – May 3, 1927) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist whose Broadway credits include the play The Isle o' Dreams, the musical The Heart of Paddy Whack, the play Macushla, and the play Barry of Ballymore. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Ball received formal music training at the Cleveland Conservatory before building a career that spanned vaudeville performance, songwriting, and theatrical work.

Ball's professional ascent received a significant boost through his association with James J. Walker, at the time a New York state senator, who approached Ball to set music to lyrics he had written. The resulting collaboration produced "Will You Love Me In December as You Do In May?", which became a hit. Walker would later serve as mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932, earning the nickname "Beau James," and the partnership proved a turning point in Ball's career.

Much of Ball's output centered on sentimental ballads with Irish themes, composed in collaboration with Chauncey Olcott. Among their joint works was "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" (1912), for which Olcott wrote the lyrics — a song that became Ball's most recognized composition, despite neither man being Irish. Ball also wrote "Mother Machree," which the Irish tenor John McCormack helped popularize, as well as "A Little Bit of Heaven," "Dear Little Boy of Mine," and "Let the Rest of the World Go By." He additionally collaborated with J. Keirn Brennan on songs including "For Dixie and Uncle Sam" and "Good Bye, Good Luck, God Bless You." Beyond songwriting, Ball accompanied singers and performed in vaudeville throughout his career.

Ball became a charter member of ASCAP in 1907. He was also an accomplished pianist whose playing was preserved on piano roll recordings made for the Vocalstyle company, headquartered in his home state of Ohio. He died on May 3, 1927, shortly after leaving the stage at the Yost Theater in Santa Ana, California, while touring with "Ernie Ball and His Gang," an act featuring Ball alongside a male octet. He was interred at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. Ball was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. A 1944 musical film, Irish Eyes Are Smiling, dramatized his career and starred Dick Haymes and June Haver.

Ball's family legacy extended across several generations. His grandson was guitar string entrepreneur Ernie Ball, his great-grandson is singer-songwriter and content producer Sherwood Ernest Ball, and his great-great-granddaughters are actress Hannah Marks and singer-songwriter Tiare' Ball.