Songwriter, Composer and Publisher; “Will” was a staff member of the Grinnell Bros., at 1515 Woodward Ave., Detroit starting ca. 1908. He possibly started as a “song plugger” playing sheet music at the request of customers; by the 1920’s he was Manager (1) of the Band and Orchestra department. He remained there 22 (4) years before joining Wurlitzer Company at 1509 Broadway Ave.; hired as the executive, heading the sheet music department, his wife Nina also worked for the company. Will remained at Wurlitzer for 12 years. Will composed or collaborated on dozens (2) of songs; in 1927 he both wrote and composed “Dreaming the Hours Away” still played today and can be heard and seen on “YouTube.com”. In 1934 he composed “Tigers on Parade” dedicated to Mickey Cochrane and the Detroit Tigers; Cochrane was player manager from 1934 to 1938. Will appears to have worked predominately with lyrist Richard W. Pascoe who wrote the words on many of those songs. Two of his most well-known were “When It’s Night Time in Nevada” with Hugh O’Reilly Clint and Richard W. Pascoe. The other “Tenderly Think of Me” with Richard A. Whiting and lyrist Pascoe. Whiting who also worked at a publishing company in Detroit before moving to Hollywood in 1929. There he composed two well-known hits “Hooray for Hollywood” and “On the Good Ship Lollipop”. Will was admitted to ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers) in January 1947 (3). It appears that in the 1940’s Will was a proprietor of music store, Nina the treasurer and son William, salesman. Based on an add in Presto-Times and another for Kimball Piano’s it may have been a partnership with Stanton Ferguson. The two of them had 14 and 20 years’ experience in the sheet music business on Woodward Avenue.

(1) Billboard magazine August 18, 1921 page 33.
(2) Reference OCLC Worldcat.
(3) Billboard magazine February 1, 1947 page 15.
(4) Obituary 13 February 1953 Detroit News.