Mabel Wayne

Composer Mabel Wayne was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 16, 1890.

She studied voice and piano in Switzerland and then attended the New York School of Music. In her early career, she performed as a pianist and concert singer as well as a dancer in vaudeville acts.

In the 1920’s, Wayne became one of the first women composers to publish a hit song with “Don’t Wake Me Up, Let Me Dream”. Among her other hits are “Ramona”, “Chiquita”, “In a Little Spanish Town”, “It Happened In Monterey”, “Little Man You’ve Had a Busy Day”, “His Majesty the Baby”, “(As Long As You’ve Not In Love With Anyone Else) Why Don’t You Fall in Love With Me?”, “It Happened in Hawaii”, “I Understand”, “Rose Ann of Charing Cross”, “Language of Love”, “A Dreamer’s Holiday” and “If I Didn’t Already Love You, Baby.”

She also contributed songs to film scores including The King of Jazz.

Wayne collaborated with several lyricists including L. Wolfe Gilbert, Kim Gannon, Billy Rose, Mitchell Parish, Sam Lewis, Joe Young and Al Lewis.