J. Leubrie Hill

John Leubrie Hill (1873 – August 30, 1916) was a composer and writer. He wrote songs and musicals. Life and career The son of John W. and Rachel Hill, John Leubrie Hill was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1873. He grew up in Memphis, Tennessee where he was also educated as a musician. In New York he continued to work collaboratively as a songwriter with Alex Rogers; notably contributing some songs to the landmark African American musical In Dahomey (1903) as one of their early New York projects. He wrote the musical Hello Paris with J. Rosamond Johnson. He also wrote the musical My Friend from Dixie. He formed the Colored Vaudeville Exchange and in 1913 he produced and starred in My Friend from Kentucky at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem. It was an influential hit with vibrant dance numbers that launched a trend of New York City theater patrons heading uptown for shows. It was also used in Laurel and Hardy’s 1937 film Way Out West, where the duo perform a dance to the accompaniment of a cowboy vocal quartet with guitar. The New York Public Library has an image of him with “his Darktown Follies”. Hill died in New York City on August 30, 1916. Discography *“Rock me in the cradle of