Joe Verges

American composer of popular music (New Orleans, October 22, 1882 - New Orleans, August 12, 1964). One of the leading pop music composers in New Orleans from 1916-1922, known especially for "Don't Leave Me, Daddy" (1916). With lyricist Sam Rosenbaum (a.k.a. Sam Rosen (4)), he collaborated on "Somewhere With Someone Someday" (1917), "The Camel Walk" (1917), and "China Baby" (1920). One of Verges and Rosen's longest-lived New Orleans hits, composed with Jimmie Dupre, was "Jelly Bean" (1920), which was revived in the 1940s by Phil Harris and Woody Herman. In 1922, Verges left New Orleans for Houston, where he composed (with Henri Therrien and Irwin P. Leclere) "That's Why You Make Me Cry" (1923). From the mid-1920s, he spent several years in Chicago, collaborating, e.g., with Walter Hirsch and ODJB saxophonist Bennie Krueger on "Oh! Look At That Baby" (1927) and with lyricists Tommie Malie and Charlie Newman (2) on "Our Bungaloo Of Dreams" (1927). Youngest brother of Al Verges.