Robert Sour

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title: "Robert Sour" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1905-births", "1985-deaths", "20th-century-american-businesspeople", "20th-century-american-composers", "20th-century-american-male-composers", "american-lyricists", "american-music-industry-executives", "broadcast-music,-inc.", "businesspeople-from-manhattan", "songwriters-from-new-york-(state)"] description: "American composer (1905–1985)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sour" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American composer (1905–1985) ::

::data[format=table title="infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Robert Sour
birth_date
birth_place	New York City, U.S.
death_date
death_place	New York City, U.S.
occupation
years_active	1929–1970
spouse
children	4
module	{{infobox officeholder
embed	yes
title	President of Broadcast Music Incorporated
term_start	1966
term_end	1968
::

|name = Robert Sour |birth_date = |birth_place = New York City, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = New York City, U.S. |occupation = |years_active = 1929–1970 |spouse = |children = 4 |module = {{infobox officeholder |embed = yes |title = President of Broadcast Music Incorporated |term_start = 1966 |term_end = 1968 Robert B. Sour (October 31, 1905 – March 6, 1985) was an American lyricist and composer, and the president of Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI).

Career

Sour's songwriting career began in 1929. Working with lyricists Edward Heyman and Frank Eyton and composer Johnny Green, Sour wrote the lyrics to the ballad "Body and Soul" from the 1930 revue, Three's A Crowd.

In partnership with Una Mae Carlisle (1915–1956), he also composed lyrics for the song "Walkin' by the River", which became a radio hit as sung by Syliva Froos (1927–2004) in 1941. Ella Fitzgerald recorded "Walkin' by the River" for Decca Records, with Leroy Kirkland directing the orchestra. Benny Carter also recorded "Walkin", with Carlisle on vocals. Sour and Carlisle also partnered to write and compose, Coffee and Cakes, recorded twice in 1941 on Bluebird Records. Carlisle was the vocalist for the first recording. Frances Wayne was the vocalist with Sam Donahue and His Orchestra performing on the second recording.

Sour composed music and lyrics for both film and theater; along with Henry Katzman, he wrote the soundtrack sections "Twitterpated" and "Thumper's Song" for the Walt Disney Productions animated feature Bambi (1942).

In 1940, Sour worked for Broadcast Music as its lyrics editor, and by 1966 had risen through company ranks to become BMI's president. Two years later he had become the company's vice chairman and was instrumental in establishing BMI's musical theater workshop He retired in 1970.

Personal life

Sour was born in New York City on October 31, 1905. He was married to Geraldine Scofield Sour, and had previously been married to the former Jane Erstein.

Sour was one of the jurors in the murder trial of Eddie Lee Mays, who in 1963 became the last man executed in New York.

Sour died in New York City on March 6, 1985, at the age of 79.

Notes

References

1. [https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/08/arts/robert-b-sour.html Robert B. Sour obituary], ''The New York Times'', March 8, 1985.
2. [http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2002127132.html "Robert Sour"] at Library of Congress.
3. "Victor matrix BS-068190. Coffee and cakes / Frances Claire ; Sam Donahue Orchestra".
4. "Robert Sour".
5. "Peter K. Sour". [[Legacy.com]].
6. (March 27, 1983). "Eddie Mays". Daily News.

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