Clay Boland

Clay Boland was a dentist and composer of popular songs. He was born October 25, 1903 in Olyphant, Pennsylvania, USA.He studied dentistry at the University of Philadelphia. In 1924, he won a university competition for a prom song with a composition entitled Dreary Weather. He then composed music for the university's Mask and Wig Club, collaborating especially with lyricist Moe Jaffe in writing the songs for many of their shows. He also performed as a pianist with leading big bands of the era and was noted for his skills as an arranger. He subsequently practised as a dentist in Ardmore, Pennsylvania but continued to compose and participate as a partner in the music publishing business.During World War 2, he served as a lieutenant commander in the US Navy's Dental Corps, and was called up again for active duty in 1950 at the time of the Korean War.In later life, he lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey and died on 23 July 1963, aged 59, in the Naval Hospital of St. Albans, Queens.