Henry Creamer

Henry Sterling Creamer (June 21, 1879 – October 14, 1930) was a singer, dancer, composer, lyricist, book writer, and stage producer born in Richmond, Virginia. An African American artist who worked across vaudeville, Broadway, and popular song, Creamer became one of the more prolific theatrical and musical figures of the early twentieth century. He died in New York on October 14, 1930, and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

Creamer's early career was built in vaudeville, where he performed as part of a duo with pianist Turner Layton, touring both the United States and Europe. The two also collaborated extensively as songwriters, producing a body of work that spanned roughly two decades. Among their most lasting compositions are "After You've Gone" (1918), with lyrics by Creamer, which Sophie Tucker helped bring to wide attention, and "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" (1922), a song later incorporated into the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939). The latter song found renewed commercial success in 1959 when a recording by Freddy Cannon sold a million copies. In 1923, Bessie Smith recorded Creamer and Layton's "Whoa, Tillie, Take Your Time." Creamer and Layton dissolved their partnership in 1924 when Layton relocated to Europe.

On Broadway, Creamer contributed as a performer, composer, lyricist, and book writer across multiple productions. His Broadway credits include the musicals Keep Shufflin', Deep Harlem, Three Showers, and Spice of 1922. In 1922, his Creole Production Company produced Strut Miss Lizzie, marking a significant moment in his Broadway career. He also contributed to the musical Three Showers as a stage score credit.

Following the end of his partnership with Layton, Creamer collaborated with other composers including J.C. Johnson, Jimmy Johnson, James P. Johnson, and vaudevillian Bert Williams. In 1926, he and James P. Johnson wrote "Alabama Stomp," and the two later produced "If I Could Be with You" in 1930, which was recorded by Ruth Etting, became the theme song for McKinney's Cotton Pickers, and was also recorded by Louis Armstrong on Okeh 41448. Also in the fall of 1926, Creamer was commissioned to direct the Cotton Club revue The Creole Cocktail, a show featuring performers including Lottie Gee, Loncia Williams, Henry and LaPearl, Louie Parker, White and Sherman, Eddie Burke, Ruby Mason, and Albertine Pickens.

Creamer joined ASCAP in 1924. He was also a co-founder, alongside James Reese Europe, of the Clef Club, an organization established to support African American musicians and entertainers in New York City. He died at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan and was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.