The Heartbreaking Tale of Billboard's First #1 Hit
Plus a bizarre contest from the Great Depression, one last tour of our Myseum exhibit, and more...
It was supposed to be routine surgery. But there’s nothing truly routine about cutting open a living human being. There’s always a chance something will go wrong. And for Harold Cohen, it did. He was still in his twenties when he went under the knife in 1939. During the operation, his kidneys gave out. He never woke up. He left behind a brand new wife; they’d only been married a few weeks.
Her name was Ruth Lowe. She was a piano player. Born in Toronto, she dropped out of high school at sixteen so she could support her family by working at the Song Shoppe on Yonge Street. These were the years of the Great Depression, when the people of the city scraped together what little money they could and went dancing, forgetting their troubles for a few hours as they twirled across the floor of jazz clubs like the Palais Royale or the Palace Pier. Big bands were all the rage, and local orchestra leaders were constantly searching for new material, heading down to the music stores on Yonge Street south of Queen — “the Tin Pan Alley of Toronto.” When they got there, they would find young Ruth Lowe waiting for them at the Song Shoppe, ready to play the piano for them so they could hear what the sheet music sounded like before they made their purchase. She had a reputation as one of the best sight-readers in the city, and soon she had her own group, too: The Shadows. But that was just the beginning.
Her big break came in the spring of 1935. That’s when Ina Ray Hutton & Her Melodears came to town. They were one of the hottest acts around: a big band whose members were all women — the inspiration for the group in Some Like It Hot. That night, the Melodears had a big gig at Shea’s Theatre (on Bay Street; it was eventually demolished to make way for Nathan Phillips Square), but their piano player was sick. When they asked around for a replacement, someone suggested Ruth Lowe.
She did such a good job they offered her a permanent position. And so, Lowe left the Song Shoppe and headed out on tour. She was now playing piano and writing the arrangements for one of the most popular bands on the continent.
That’s how she met Harold Cohen, a music publicist from Chicago. They went on a blind date and fell madly in love; soon they were married. But they were able to spend only a few blissful weeks together before his ill-fated surgery.
When tragedy struck, Lowe was devastated. She was just twenty-three when she returned home to Toronto as a widow. She filled some of her lonely hours by working as an accompanist at the CBC, but she spent most of her time in mourning, holed up inside her mother’s apartment overlooking Christie Pits, where she could watch as joyful couples strolled arm-in-arm through the park. That’s when she sat down at the piano to write a new song. It was a slow, melancholy tune; full of longing for the love she’d lost.
I’ll never smile again
Until I smile at you
I’ll never laugh again
What good would it do?
For tears would fill my eyes My heart would realize
That our romance is through
CBC listeners were the first to hear it. The famous Torontonian orchestra leader Percy Faith heard Lowe rehearsing the song at work one day and asked if he could perform it during his show on Canada’s brand new public radio station. But he was just the first of many to cover the tune.
Lowe managed to get an acetate recording of that CBC performance and had an idea. One of the biggest of all the big bands was in town. Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra were playing at the CNE, where a huge tent was pitched on the Exhibition Grounds — it had room for ten thousand on the dance floor. Lowe knew the guitarist in Dorsey’s band, so she waited outside the tent until she ran into him — he promised to pass the record along to Dorsey himself.
Dorsey loved it. And soon, he knew exactly who should perform it: an up-and-coming new singer he poached from another orchestra. He’d been searching for the perfect song to launch the young crooner’s career. “I’ll Never Smile Again” would prove to be exactly what Dorsey was looking for: the song that would make Frank Sinatra famous.
But it wasn’t just the talent of Ol’ Blue Eyes that would make the mournful tune one of the biggest hits of the big band era. The song came at just the right time. Sinatra’s version of “I’ll Never Smile Again” debuted in June of 1940. The Second World War was underway.
This war would be even more deadly than the last. By the time Sinatra’s soulful tones began to fill the airwaves, the Nazis were already in Paris and German bombs were falling on British cities. Over the next few years, tens of millions of soldiers would leave their loved ones behind and head off to war: many of them would never come home.
Suddenly, Lowe’s lyrics weren’t just about the death of her own husband, but the death of millions. Her personal grief had become universal. The words she wrote at her mother’s piano on Bloor Street were now speaking for an entire generation of mourners who felt they would never again be able to smile, or to laugh, or to love.
That same summer, for the first time ever, the editors of Billboard magazine published a chart of best-selling singles. When they did, “I’ll Never Smile Again” was at the top of the list; it would stay there for the next twelve weeks. That little heartbroken tune from Toronto had become the defining soundtrack to the first dreadful summer of the Second World War.
This story is a chapter from my first book, The Toronto Book of the Dead, which you can purchase from all the usual places, and learn a little bit more about here.
Thank you so much to everyone who supports The Toronto History Weekly with a few dollars a month! This thing involves a ton of work, so it’s only by growing the number of paid subscriptions that I’ll be able to continue doing it. Until the last couple of weeks, that growth had completely stalled for six months — so the new subscriptions are very, very encouraging! Thank you! And if you’d to make the switch yourself, you can do it by clicking right here:
The Great Toronto Stork Derby
On this week’s edition of my “Weird Toronto History” radio segment, I shared the story of one history’s strangest contests. The Great Toronto Stork Derby was sparked by the death of a wealthy practical joker who declared that much of his fortune was to be given to whichever woman in the city gave birth the greatest number of children over the next ten years.
My segment begins here around the 29:45 mark:
I also wrote about the Stork Derby in The Toronto Book of Love and shared that chapter in the newsletter last year:
Take A Tour of Toronto’s Sports Histories!
You’ve got one more chance to get a free tour of our Toronto sports history exhibit at Myseum. This upcoming Saturday, February 3, I’ll be teaming up with one of my co-curators Morgan Campbell to lead a couple of tours through the exhibit, sharing some of our favourite stories and a bit about how it all came together. It’s free with registration! The tours are happening at 1pm and 3pm; you can register here. It’s likely the last time we’ll be doing it, so if you are interested in the tour, make sure not to miss it!
And if you can’t make it on Saturday, there’s still plenty of time to check out the exhibit yourself. Here’s everything you need to know:
How much: It’s free! (Though donations to Myseum are welcome.)
Where: Myseum of Toronto, which is inside 401 Richmond (right across the hallway from the Spacing Store).
When: It’s open Wednesday–Saturday, 12–6pm, and runs until March 9.
QUICK LINKS
The best of everything else that’s new in Toronto’s past…
THREE-DIMENSIONAL NEWS — Kimia Afshar Mehrabi writes about a “a last-ditch effort to save one of the city's most eccentric buildings.” A crowd-funding campaign suggests there are only a few days left to try to save the famous Cube House on Sumach Street, with a big development slated to take its place. Read more. Visit the crowd-funding campaign.
TWO-DIMENSIONAL NEWS — Kimia Afshar Mehrabi also writes about the old bank building on the north-east corner of Queen & Spadina, which has been standing there for 120 years. It is now being reduced to facades that will be incorporate in a new Ontario Line subway station. Read more.
SHIFTING SHORELINE NEWS — On Twitter, Victor Caratun shares a glimpse of what the city’s waterfront looked like a century ago:
(Click to view on Twitter.)
TORONTO HISTORY EVENTS
ST. ANNE’S ANGLICAN CHURCH: A UNIQUE TORONTO TREASURE
January 31 — 7pm — Online — North Toronto Historical Society
“St. Anne's is designed in the grand Byzantine Revival style -- unusual for an Anglican church. The interior is remarkable: it was decorated by local artists, including several members of the Group of Seven. Architectural historian Marta O'Brien will reveal the fascinating stories behind the art and architecture of this beautiful worship space.”
FINDING 19th CENTURY BLACK HISTORY IN TORONTO
February 1 — 7pm — Online & In-Person at St. John’s Anglican Church — The West Toronto Junction Historical Society
“Embark on a captivating journey through Toronto’s rich history with acclaimed genealogist and historical researcher, Hilary Dawson. With a profound expertise spanning over three decades, Dawson has meticulously uncovered the hidden stories of African Canadians in the 19th century, particularly in the vibrant landscapes of Toronto and Etobicoke. Her invaluable contributions have been recognized by the Etobicoke Historical Society, which honored her with the prestigious Jean Hibbert Award in 2002. Now, she invites you to join an enlightening talk where she will delve into the lives of African-Canadian families, exploring their communities, challenges, and the remarkable contributions they made to the cultural tapestry of Toronto.”
AN EVENING WITH LOST RIVERS
February 1 — 6:30pm — Toronto Reference Library
“Helen Mills is the indefatigable force behind, and face of - the Lost Rivers project. She will be talking about the past, present and future of the Lost Rivers, about the GTA as a bio-region and about early mapping of lost rivers in Toronto. She'll show how to investigate the historical, archeological and topographical clues to the pre-built landscape in our city, and in your own neighbourhood.”
Free with registration!
THE STORY OF WINDERMERE UNITED CHURCH — A SWANSEA LANDMARK FOR MORE THAN A CENUTRY
February 7 — 8pm — Online & In-Person at Swansea Town Hall — Swansea Historical Society
“Windermere United Church has played an important role in the life of the Swansea community ever since the congregation was founded in 1912, as Windermere Methodist Church. When the United Church of Canada was created in the 1920s, Windermere Methodist became Windermere United. For many decades, the congregation grew and prospered, and in recent years it was noted for its outreach initiatives. In 2023, as the membership was shrinking, the decision was made to merge with Runnymede United. We are pleased that the landmark building at the corner of Mayfield Avenue will be preserved as a hub for community-oriented activities, now known as the Windermere Campus of Runnymede United Church.”
Free, I believe!
JOSHUA GLOVER: ESCAPED SLAVE & ETOBICOKE PIONEER
February 15 — 7:30pm — Montgomery’s Inn — Etobicoke Historical Society
“Joshua Glover was born a slave in the American South. Sold in St. Louis, Missouri in 1850, he escaped and lived as a free man in Wisconsin for two years. When his former owner tried to reclaim him, a riot ensued as Abolitionists partially demolished a jail to free him. Joshua Glover then rode the Underground Railroad to a new life in Canada, establishing himself in the Township of Etobicoke. He worked for farmer Thomas Montgomery at Montgomery’s Inn and would marry twice. This is an account of slavery and the Abolitionist movement in the United States, the Underground Railroad and the life of a Black man in Etobicoke in the 1800s. Finally, we’ll look at how Joshua Glover has been remembered both in the United States and in Canada.”
Free for members; annual memberships are $25
ATROCITY ON THE ATLANTIC: THE LONG WAKE OF A FORGOTTEN WAR CRIME AGAINST A CANADIAN HOSPITAL SHIP
February 29 — 8:15pm — Toronto Reference Library
“On the evening of June 27, 1918, an unarmed, clearly marked Canadian hospital ship called the Llandovery Castle was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland by a German U-boat. Sinking hospital ships violated international treaties, so the submarine commander tried to kill the survivors to conceal his war crime. ... This presentation will discuss the attack, the survivors and the deceased, why the attack was forgotten, and the long aftermath of an atrocity that continues to impact military conduct and international law today.”
Free!
PRINTING MARY ANNE SHADD’S NEWSPAPER AT MACKENZIE HOUSE
Until February 29 — Various times daily, Wed to Sun — Mackenzie House
“Join Mackenzie House for a tribute to the life and work of Mary Ann Shadd Cary, the first Black woman to publish a newspaper in North America. In 1854, she was publishing her newspaper, The Provincial Freeman, on King Street in Toronto. Visitors are invited to print a copy of Mary Ann's newspaper on the 1845 press, customized with their name!”
Free!
BLACK DEFENDERS OF UPPER CANADA TOUR AT FORT YORK
Until February 29 — Various times daily, Wed to Sun — Fort York
“Discover the contributions made by Richard Pierpoint, and the Coloured Corps, in the defence of what is now Ontario during the War of 1812. Learn about the connections between global trade, global consumption and the African Diaspora through an exploration of ingredients used in the historic kitchen.”
Free!
THE LIFE & TIMES OF ALFRED LAFFERTY
March 21 — 7:30pm — Montgomery’s Inn — The Etobicoke Historical Society
“In 1869 Alfred M. Lafferty, M.A., Richmond Hill, was a witness to the marriage of William Denis Lafferty, a black farmer who lived in Etobicoke. Who was the man with the same surname and a university degree? Hilary J. Dawson’s research uncovered the story of the Lafferty family, and the successes, challenges, and tragedies they faced. The Lafferty parents arrived from the United States in the 1830s as freedom-seekers and their two older sons later farmed in Etobicoke. The youngest son, Alfred, won prizes for excellence at both Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto. Alfred M. Lafferty would be the first black High School Principal in the province. Later, he became the first Canadian-born black lawyer in Ontario.”
Free for members; annual memberships cost $25
A great story Adam. I also included a story on Ruth in my latest book: 101 Fascinating Music Facts. https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781459751583-101-fascinating-canadian-music-facts
For readers who want to learn more about the amazing life of Ruth, check out the book that came out a few years ago written by Peter Jennings with Ruth's son Tom Sandler. https://www.amazon.ca/Until-Smile-You-heartbreak-electrified/dp/1990096034
Great piece! I love that tune and play it often!