"Dear Old Pal of Mine" is a World War I song written by Harold Robe and Gitz Rice. The song was first published in 1916 by G. Ricordi & Co. in New York, NY.
Irish tenor John McCormack earned the nickname the "Singing Prophet of Victory" by popularizing this wartime song. It was in the top 20 from January to March 1919 and reached number 10 in February..
The idea for the song, according to an editorial note on the sheet music, was conceived by Rice while on sentry duty at the front lines at Ypres, Belgium.Hayes, Florence."Dear Old Pal of Mine" The Canadian Encyclopedia. The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2 July 2006. Web. 07 June 2016. <http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/dear-old-pal-of-mine-emc/>.
References
Bibliography Parker, Bernard S. World War I Sheet Music 1. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2007. . Paas, John Roger. 2014. America sings of war: American sheet music from World War I. . Tyler, Don. Hit songs, 1900-1955: American popular music of the pre-rock era. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2007. . Vogel, Frederick G. World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with Over 300 Complete Lyrics. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1995. .
External links Sheet music and Song MP3 at the Illinois Digital Archive