Composer
J. Fred Coots
American songwriter (1897–1985)
1897–1985
8 works in the index
- Born
- 1897
- Died
- 1985
- Birthplace
- New York City
- Place of death
- New York City
- Citizenship / historical state
- United States
- Period (estimated from birth year)
- Modern
Biography
John Frederick Coots, better known as J. Fred Coots or Fred Coots, (May 2, 1897 – April 8, 1985) was an American songwriter. He composed more than 700 popular songs and more than a dozen Broadway shows. In 1934, Coots wrote the melody with his then chief collaborator, lyricist Haven Gillespie, for the biggest success of either man's career, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town." The song became one of the biggest sellers in American history.
In 1934, when Gillespie brought him the lyrics to "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", Coots developed the outline of the melody in just ten minutes. Coots took the song to his publisher, Leo Feist, who liked it but thought it was "a kids' song" and didn't expect too much from it. Coots offered the song to Eddie Cantor who used it for his radio show that November and it became an instant success. The morning after the radio show there were orders for 100,000 copies of sheet music and by Christmas sales had passed 400,000.
Biography excerpt from Wikipedia contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting and reference markers have been removed; the introduction may be shortened. View contributors and article history.
Life and musical career
- Occupations
- composer; songwriter; lyricist
- Instruments played
- piano
- Notable works
- Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
- Birth name
- John Frederick Coots
- Pseudonym
- J. Fred Coots
- Languages used
- English
- VIAF ID
- 5196885
- ISNI
- 0000000080848626
- GND ID
- 134350529
- Library of Congress ID
- n92014476
- MusicBrainz ID
- 3bcb90e6-c8d9-463d-870a-3cc1e480a060
Recorded in Wikidata. Affiliations may refer to earlier stages of the composer's career.
In this catalogue
- Common listed instruments
- Piano, Vocal, Cello, Clarinet, Flute
- Genres represented
- Christmas, Jazz, Classical, Pop
- Works with composition dates
- 0 of 8
These details describe the indexed sheet music, including arrangements.
Catalogue
Works
Years are composition dates where known. Instruments describe editions in our catalogue and may include arrangements. A dash means the detail is not recorded.
| Work | Year composed | Catalogue / opus | Key in title | Listed instruments | Genre | Editions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Claus Is Coming to Town | — | — | — | Piano, Cello, Flute, violin, Voice, Horn, Clarinet, Trombone, percussion, Handbell | Jazz, Classical, Pop, Christmas | 20 |
| You Go To My Head | — | — | — | Piano | — | 2 |
| Me and My Teddy Bear | — | — | — | Piano, Guitar, Vocal | — | 2 |
| Doin' The Raccoon | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | — | 0 |
| Nora | — | — | — | Piano, Vocal | — | 0 |
| Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| For All We Know, full score | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Santa's in Town | — | — | — | — | Jazz, Christmas | 1 |
Biographical record: Wikidata, matched on name and checked against dates held in the catalogue. The period label is an estimate from birth year. Authority record: VIAF 5196885.