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Addy Britt

American singer, songwriter, lyricist (b. March 27, 1891 in New York, NY - d. May 14, 1938 in New York, NY) Born to Austrian-Jewish immigrants as Abraham Breitner, Britt had adopted the name Addy Britt by 1914. In 1915, he appears in the New York State Census as an actor. According to a feature about him in the April 15, 1926 The Metronome, Britt got his start in the music publishing business in 1910, as an errand boy for then newly established firm of [l=Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co.] Soon, he was promoted and sent by the firm to open branch offices in Dallas, New Orleans, and Kansas City. He then went on the road to sell the firm's tunes, traveling as far away as Canada, Mexico, Panama, and Cuba. By 1926, Britt was manager of the Band and Orchestra Department at [l=Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co.] Between 1924 and 1925, Britt sings on several records released by [l=Cameo (3)]. After 1925, he focuses solely on writing songs. Co-writer of the hits "Aggravatin' Papa" (1922, with [a=Roy Turk] and [a=J. Russell Robinson]) and "Don't Take That Black Bottom Away" (1926, with [a=Sam Coslow] and [a=Harry Link]). Other songs on which Britt collaborated include "Where Is My Sweetie Hiding?" (1924, with [a=Tommie Malie], [a=Little Jack Little], [a=Dick Finch]); "Normandy" and "My Sugar" (1925, both with [a=Little Jack Little]); "Iyone-My Own Iyone" (1926, with [a=Alfred Bryan] and [a=Harry Leonard]); "Lonely Nights" (1926, with [a=Sam Coslow]); "Ting-A-Ling" (The Waltz of the Bells) (1926, with [a=Little Jack Little]); "To-Morrow Mornin'" (1926, with [a=J. Russell Robinson] and [a=Little Jack Little]); "After We Kiss" (1927, with [a=Ted Fiorito]); "Hello! Swanee - Hello!" (1927, with [a=Sam Coslow]); and "Was It A Dream?" (1928, with [a=Larry Spier] and [a=Sam Coslow]).