Bud Green

Who was Bud Green?

Bud Green was an Austrian-born songwriter. Bud Green grew up in Harlem at 108th & Madison Avenue at the turn of the 20th century, the eldest of seven. He dropped out of elementary school to sell newspapers and help the family. While selling papers, he decided to become a songwriter and started keeping a notebook of poems and rhymes that he thought would be useful someday. He was the brother of writer Hannah Russell see who's who in American women b.1913 d.2002. He was also the brother-in-law of the great lyricist Bob Russell, also see, b.1914 d.1970 who wote Brazil, Frenisi, Don't get around Much anymore and He Ain't Heavy, He's my Brother & many more. He's also the granduncle to Luther Russell a singer songerwriter in his own right. Bud Green at 21, married a girl from the Ziegfeld Follies, Nan Hinken, they were together until her death in the early 60's. They had two sons, both deceased. Bud worked as a salaried writer for music publishers. By 1928 he had written "Alabamy Bound, & "That's My Weakness Now" which became a huge hit for Ukelele Ike and Helen Kane. Kane's version including a suggestive scat phrase "boop boop ba doo." This line and Kane's stage persona made the song synonymous with the flapper era; Kane and the song became the inspiration for the Betty Boop cartoons which debuted in 1930. The song was self-published by Green and Stept. They were in the Brass Rail Bldg. at 745, 7th Ave. They then went to Hollywood to work for the movie industry. He and Sammy eventually sold their company to Warner Bros. and returned to New York. He moved his family to Yonkers, New York where he lived the rest of his life commuting to NYC everyday.