{"history":[],"article":{"id":"c73aea75-0340-4d73-8e1b-936edb88b24b","title":"Cecil Mack","slug":"cecil-mack","content":":::summary\n**Background:** person \n**Name:** Cecil Mack \n**Birth Name:** Richard Cecil McPherson \n**Birth Date:** November 6, 1873 \n**Birth Place:** [Portsmouth, Virginia](https://bliptext.com/articles/portsmouth-virginia), USA \n**Death Date:** August 1, 1944 \n**Death Place:** [Manhattan](https://bliptext.com/articles/manhattan), New York, USA \n**Occupation:** Composer, lyricist, music publisher \n:::\n\n# \n**Cecil Mack** (November 6, 1873 – August 1, 1944) was an American composer, lyricist and music publisher.\n\n# Biography\nBorn as **Richard Cecil McPherson** in [Portsmouth, Virginia](https://bliptext.com/articles/portsmouth-virginia), he attended the [Norfolk Mission College](https://bliptext.com/articles/norfolk-mission-college) and [Lincoln University](https://bliptext.com/articles/lincoln-university-pennsylvania) in Pennsylvania (class of 1897) before leaving to go to [New York City](https://bliptext.com/articles/new-york-city) where the 1900 Federal Census lists his occupation as a [stenographer](https://bliptext.com/articles/stenographer).\nMack started writing song lyrics, starting with \"Good Morning, Carrie\" in 1901.\nHe co-founded the [Gotham-Attucks Music Publishing Company](https://bliptext.com/articles/gotham-attucks-music-publishing-company) in May 1905, in [New York City](https://bliptext.com/articles/new-york-city); it was likely the first black-owned music publishing company.\nIn July 1906, an article in [The New York Age](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-new-york-age) referred to Mack as the company's \"secretary and treasurer and general business director.\"\nIn 1907 he wrote the lyrics for the musical [The Black Politician](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-black-politician).\nIn 1925 he co-wrote the book for the musical Mooching Along.\nMack also formed a choir, the Southland Singers, that year.\nIn 1931 he co-wrote the music for the musical Rhapsody in Black.\n\n## Birth date\nHis birthdate is also given as 1880 and 1883, and an 1876 date is shown by his World War I Draft Registration card, as referenced above, and the [1900 US Census](https://bliptext.com/articles/1900-us-census), but an 1891 Navy Enlistment Record and the 1880 Federal census both point to an 1873 birth year.\n\n## Personal life\nMack married Dr. [Gertrude Curtis](https://bliptext.com/articles/gertrude-curtis) on April 8, 1912, in [Manhattan](https://bliptext.com/articles/manhattan).\nCurtis was a pioneering African-American [dentist](https://bliptext.com/articles/dentist) who practiced in [Harlem](https://bliptext.com/articles/harlem).\nThey remained married until his death.\nThey had no children.\nGertrude re-married in 1946 to [Ulysses \"Slow Kid\" Thompson](https://bliptext.com/articles/ulysses-slow-kid-thompson) (1888–1990), a comedian.\n\n## Death\nMack died in [Manhattan](https://bliptext.com/articles/manhattan), aged 70.\nThe New York Age, quoting his obituary from [The Christian Science Monitor](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-christian-science-monitor), observed, \"Not even [Irving Berlin](https://bliptext.com/articles/irving-berlin) exceeded the output of this talented New York Negro. His songs were as American as [Stephen Foster](https://bliptext.com/articles/stephen-foster)'s – one or two of them may be remembered as long – and were typically representative of the pre-radio era when fortunes were made over the 10-cent-store counters. Cecil Mack's songs were pure fun and never had an off-color line.\"\n\n# Notable works\nAs lyricist, Mack's notable works include:\n\n## References linked to notes\n

p. 44.\n

","current_revision":null,"created_by":"kACnuQmH5k9Nr5VNVEpVeg7XpvUmMctD","created_at":"2025-01-25T22:35:29.419Z","updated_at":"2025-01-25T22:35:29.419Z","search_vector":"'cecil':1 'mack':2","search_content":" \n**Background:** person \n**Name:** Cecil Mack \n**Birth Name:** Richard Cecil McPherson \n**Birth Date:** November 6, 1873 \n**Birth Place:** [Portsmouth, Virginia](https://bliptext.com/articles/portsmouth-virginia), USA \n**Death Date:** August 1, 1944 \n**Death Place:** [Manhattan](https://bliptext.com/articles/manhattan), New York, USA \n**Occupation:** Composer, lyricist, music publisher \n \n\n# \n**Cecil Mack** (November 6, 1873 – August 1, 1944) was an American composer, lyricist and music publisher.\n\n# Biography\nBorn as **Richard Cecil McPherson** in [Portsmouth, Virginia](https://bliptext.com/articles/portsmouth-virginia), he attended the [Norfolk Mission College](https://bliptext.com/articles/norfolk-mission-college) and [Lincoln University](https://bliptext.com/articles/lincoln-university-pennsylvania) in Pennsylvania (class of 1897) before leaving to go to [New York City](https://bliptext.com/articles/new-york-city) where the 1900 Federal Census lists his occupation as a [stenographer](https://bliptext.com/articles/stenographer).\nMack started writing song lyrics, starting with \"Good Morning, Carrie\" in 1901.\nHe co-founded the [Gotham-Attucks Music Publishing Company](https://bliptext.com/articles/gotham-attucks-music-publishing-company) in May 1905, in [New York City](https://bliptext.com/articles/new-york-city); it was likely the first black-owned music publishing company.\nIn July 1906, an article in [The New York Age](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-new-york-age) referred to Mack as the company's \"secretary and treasurer and general business director.\"\nIn 1907 he wrote the lyrics for the musical [The Black Politician](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-black-politician).\nIn 1925 he co-wrote the book for the musical Mooching Along.\nMack also formed a choir, the Southland Singers, that year.\nIn 1931 he co-wrote the music for the musical Rhapsody in Black.\n\n## Birth date\nHis birthdate is also given as 1880 and 1883, and an 1876 date is shown by his World War I Draft Registration card, as referenced above, and the [1900 US Census](https://bliptext.com/articles/1900-us-census), but an 1891 Navy Enlistment Record and the 1880 Federal census both point to an 1873 birth year.\n\n## Personal life\nMack married Dr. [Gertrude Curtis](https://bliptext.com/articles/gertrude-curtis) on April 8, 1912, in [Manhattan](https://bliptext.com/articles/manhattan).\nCurtis was a pioneering African-American [dentist](https://bliptext.com/articles/dentist) who practiced in [Harlem](https://bliptext.com/articles/harlem).\nThey remained married until his death.\nThey had no children.\nGertrude re-married in 1946 to [Ulysses \"Slow Kid\" Thompson](https://bliptext.com/articles/ulysses-slow-kid-thompson) (1888–1990), a comedian.\n\n## Death\nMack died in [Manhattan](https://bliptext.com/articles/manhattan), aged 70.\nThe New York Age, quoting his obituary from [The Christian Science Monitor](https://bliptext.com/articles/the-christian-science-monitor), observed, \"Not even [Irving Berlin](https://bliptext.com/articles/irving-berlin) exceeded the output of this talented New York Negro. His songs were as American as [Stephen Foster](https://bliptext.com/articles/stephen-foster)'s – one or two of them may be remembered as long – and were typically representative of the pre-radio era when fortunes were made over the 10-cent-store counters. Cecil Mack's songs were pure fun and never had an off-color line.\"\n\n# Notable works\nAs lyricist, Mack's notable works include:\n\n## References linked to notes\n \n p. 44.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ","revisionCount":0},"hasMore":false,"nextCursor":null}

History