"Pretty Baby" is a song written by Tony Jackson during the Ragtime era. The song was remembered as being prominent in Jackson's repertory before he left New Orleans in 1912, but was not published until 1916. The background as to how the song came to be published has been confused over the years. However, it appears that composer Egbert Van Alstyne and lyricist Gus Kahn were writing partners. Whilst Van Alstyne was Chicago manager of music publishers Jerome H. Remick & Company, they heard Tony Jackson singing the song one evening at a Chicago nightspot. Van Alstyne and Kahn liked the melody, but felt the lyrics were unsuitable for mass consumption. This resulted in Jackson being paid $250 for the rights to the tune, and Kahn re-writing the lyrics, with Van Alstyne adding a verse, which he took from one of his earlier unsuccessful songs. Jackson's name was included on the sheet music. The song was quickly interpolated into the Broadway show A World of Pleasure (which ran from October 14, 1915 to January 22, 1916), and was then used in the show The Passing Show of 1916 (June 22 – October 21, 1916), in which it was sung by Dolly Hackett. In London, the song was included in the musical Houp La!, which opened on November 23, 1916. In this show, it was sung by Gertie Millar. Billy Murray recorded the song on June 22, 1916 for Victor Records (catalog 18102), and it was a success for him.

Other notable recordings

Film appearances

In popular culture

In a 2008 episode of the British soap opera EastEnders, veteran character Dot Branning had the show's first monologue episode. During the programme, Dot recalls her wartime experiences as a child, in which her beloved uncle would sing to her. She sings "Pretty Baby" into the tape recorder (for her sick husband, Jim Branning). The episode ends with Al Jolson's recording of the song.

Lyrics

Billy Murray's 1916 recording has lyrics as follows: Verse 1 Verse 2 Chorus