"Ken McCutchan is a life-long resident of Vanderburgh County, Indiana, descended from pioneer families that entered the area in the early 1800s. He is veteran of WWII, having served with Army Corps of Engineers in both North Africa and Europe. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Composition and Modern Language from the University of Evansville, a certificate in French Language and Culture from the Sorbonne in Paris, and an Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from the University of Southern Indiana. His other books include: The Adventures of Isaac Knight, From then Til Now, Saundersville, An English Settlement, At The Bend in the River, and Dearest Lizzie. Mr. McCutchan's books may be purchased at Willard Library in Evansville, IN.

The Birth of "Sweet Adeline"    - History

by Kenneth McCutchan

Before moving pictures arrived, Evansville Theaters offered programs of drama or vaudeville by either resident stock companies or professional troupes.

Some of the most popular theaters in town were the Metropolitan on First Street between Sycamore and Vine streets which was owned and operated by the famous Golden family; the Peoples at First and Locust streets, which was later named the Orpheum; the Apollo on Third Street between Locust and Walnut streets, later called the Wells Bijou and still later the Strand.

The Apollo was the theater where Paul Dresser appeared for several seasons as star comedian with a resident stock company.

Also there were the Little Bijou at Fifth and Locust streets, which became the Majestic, and the grandest of all, the Grand Opera House at 209 Sycamore.

Every theater in those days has a resident piano player.

One of the most popular was a local man named Elmer Schoebel.

Schoebel worked from time to time at different theaters around town including the Orpheum and the Grand.

While he was playing at the Grand in 1903, a male quartet called The Premiere Harmonists appeared on the vaudeville bill. During their engagement here, the lead tenor became critically ill.

In order to keep the act on the stage, they brought in a boy name Richard Gerard, who had been working as a bellhop at the Vendome Hotel next door.

One of the songs included in their program was My Old New England Home, which had been written by Harry Armstrong, a member of the quartet.

After performing the song for several nights, Gerard suggested that although it was a pretty melody, he didn't feel the lyrics were very good.

So after the show one night, Armstrong, Gerard and Schoebel got together and sat up until the wee hours of the morning writing new lyrics.

The next night they they went on stage and brought the house down singing:

Sweet Adeline, my Adeline,

At night, dear heart, for you I pine,

In all my dreams, your fair face beams,

You're the flow-er of my heart, Sweet Adeline.

Little did they realize then that their new song was to become one of the most popular barbershop quartet numbers of all time.

Sweet Adeline was copyrighted in 1903 by the former Vendome bellhop, Richard Gerard.