“After You’ve Gone” | Stories of Standards

Tune in to First Take with Lando & Chavis – weekdays from 6-9 am MT for Stories of Standards to hear our favorite versions of this song all week long!

“After You’ve Gone” by Turner Layton and Henry Creamer is one of the three most frequently recorded pre-1920s jazz songs. Following inclusion in the musical “So Long, Letty”, Al Jolson introduced it to vaudeville in 1918. Early recordings include those by Marion Harris, which reached number one in 1919, and the 1927 recordings by Sophie Tucker (”The Last of the Red Hot Mamas”) and Bessie Smith. Between 1918 and 1937 it reached the top 20 on the charts on nine separate occasions.

Hit recordings included those listed above plus Paul Whiteman (vocals by Bing Crosby) in 1930, Louis Armstrong in 1932, Benny Goodman Trio in 1935, Lionel Hampton in 1937 and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France featuring Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, also in 1937. In the 1940s and 1950s it was used in at least three movie soundtracks: “For Me and My Gal” (1942), “Jolson Sings Again” (1949) and “Some Came Running” (1958), while in 2007-2008 it was used as the theme song for the British comedy of the same name, which starred Nicholas Lyndhurst and Celia Imre. Recorded as a ballad, as swing and as bebop in instrumental and vocal versions, “After You’ve Gone” continues to capture audiences and musicians alike.

Turner Layton (1894-1978) – composer, vocalist, pianist, vaudevillian and publisher – is best remembered for the songs he wrote with Henry Creamer. In addition to “After You’ve Gone”, they wrote “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans”. Layton went on to a long and successful career in England, retiring in 1946.

Henry Creamer (1879-1930) was a lyricist, singer, dancer and producer who cofounded the Clef Club in 1920. He and Turner Layton collaborated for several years as performers and writers. Their partnership ended in 1924 with Layton’s move to Europe. Creamer went on to direct the Cotton Club revue “The Creole Cocktail” in 1926.