Tommie Connor

Tommie Connor

Biography

Thomas Patrick Connor (16 November 1904, Bloomsbury, London, England – 28 November 1993, Farnborough, Kent, England ) was a British lyricist and songwriter.

In his teens, Connor worked as a call boy in London theatres, and started writing his own words to well-known tunes. The composer Herbert Stothart was impressed, and suggested that he become a songwriter after gaining more experience of the world. Connor then worked for two years as a steward aboard the RMS Empress of France, before returning to England with the intention of earning his living as a songwriter.

After several years of trying to sell his songs in Denmark Street, his first published song was My Home Town in 1932, which was recorded by child star Little Mary Hagan. Two years later, his song Jump on the Wagon was described as a number one radio hit. By 1935, he started working with composer Edward Lisbona of Ambrose's orchestra, and they wrote It's My Mother's Birthday Today, which was a hit for Arthur Tracy, who was known as The Street Singer.

Connor continued to write successfully over the next twenty years, mostly in Britain but occasionally spending time in the United States, mainly Los Angeles and New York. His most successful songs included When The Guardsman Started Crooning On Parade (1935), The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot (1937), I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (1952), and Never Do a Tango with an Eskimo (1956). I'm Sending a Letter to Santa Claus was published with words and music by Lanny Rogers and Spencer Williams, Rogers being a pseudonym for Connor.

Works for Winds

• I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (arr. Iwai) (1952/1992)
• I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (1952)
• Lilli Marlene (arr. Kjaernes) (2016)

Resources

• Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "IConnor, Tommie." Accessed 28 December 2022
• Tommie Connor. Wikipedia. Accessed 28 December 2022