Chester Conn (néMaster Chester Cohn; April 14, 1894 – April 4, 1973) was an American composer of popular music and music publisher.[1]
Early life and career
Chester was born in San Francisco, California to David Cohn and Minnie (née Newman; 1871–1946).[2] At an early age, Chester was raised by his mother, who had become a widow sometime before 1900. In 1918, Cohn was working for Broadway Music Corp[a] in New York.[3] In 1922, Cohn was working for Leo Feist, Inc., in its Chicago office.[4] In 1937, Conn co-founded the New York music publishing of Bregman, Vocco & Conn, Inc. ("BVC"). The other name partners were Jack Bregman (né Joseph Bregman; 1901–1967) and Rocco Vocco (1887–1960). Chester Conn's only child, a son, Jack D. Conn (1926–1966), had been an executive at BVC. Given that Bregman, Vocco, and Jack Conn all predeceased Chester, Chester sold the firm in May 1967 to 20th Century Fox for 4.5 million dollars in cash.[5]
Chester Conn died of a heart attack April 4, 1973, while living in Flushing, Queens, aged 78. He was stricken at the Aqueduct Racetrack. Conn was survived by his wife, Grace (née Grace Belle Goodman; 1885–1978), whom he married May 1, 1921, in Chicago. He was also survived as daughter-in-law, Ella Conn (née Raffaella Nardino; 1928–2010), and a grandson, Brian Conn (born 1961). Ella Conn (Chester's daughter-in-law) was an aunt to Gary Nardino (1935-1998), a notable Hollywood TV and film director, producer, and industry executive.
^ abBroadway Music Corporation is a privately held American publisher of popular music that was founded in 1913 by Will Von Tilzer (né William U. Gumbinsky; surname later changed to Gumm; 1882–1952) (Albert's brother), and headed by him for thirty-nine years until his death in 1952. Around 1960, after some shuffling among new owners, the corporation was restructured and became the imprint of the London firm Kassner Music for North America, which endures today. Kassner Music, founded by Edward Kassner (1920–1996), maintains the Broadway Music Corporation as a New York entity and a subsidiary.
