Full Name James Royce Nationality American Denomination Episcopal Church Role Composer | Cause of death Suicide Ethnicity Irish-American Religion Christian Name James Shannon Parents Eliza Shannon | |
Born 1881 Adrian, Michigan Residence Detroit, Michigan, United States Notable works Missouri Waltz, Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral | ||
James Royce Shannon (1881-1946), born James Royce, was a nationally prominent Irish-American composer and lyricist born in Adrian, Michigan who was active at the time Tin Pan Alley was in vogue. He is known chiefly for writing the lyrics to "The Missouri Waltz" (the state song of Missouri) and for composing the song "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral" ("Irish Lullaby").
He began his musical writing career in collaboration with his mother, Eliza Shannon. His first significant composition was "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral" which was one of the songs composed by Shannon for Chauncey Olcott's musical Shameen Dhu that successfully debuted in New York City in February 1914. The "Irish Lullaby" became more famous decades later when it was included in the movie Going My Way. It reached # 4 on the Billboard charts, sold over a million copies, and was included in one of Bing Crosby's albums.
Residing primarily in Detroit during his career, he owned and operated a theatrical company that toured both in the U.S. and in Europe. He was the manager for a chain of music stores in Michigan, the assistant manager for Detroit's Majestic Theatre, and served as a drama critic for the Detroit Free Press.