James Frederick Hanley

James Frederick Hanley, born February 17, 1892 in Rensselaer, became part of New York's Tin Pan Alley music scene and wrote hit songs for Broadway musicals, including "Second Hand Rose," with lyrics by Grant Clarke, for Fanny Brice in the 1921 Ziegfeld Follies, and "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" in 1934, later popularized by Judy Garland in 1938. He also wrote scores for many Hollywood musicals in the early 1930s. His song "(Back Home Again in) Indiana," written with lyricist Ballard MacDonald, was a hit in 1917, became a 1920s jazz classic recorded by Louis Armstrong, and a 1930s swing tune by Benny Goodman. The song has remained popular and has been performed at every Indianapolis 500 since 1946. Hanley died February 8, 1942 in New York and was buried there in Gate of Heaven Cemetery.

Rensselaer, Indiana · United States