Songwriter. Best remembered for composing the music for "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" (lyrics by Jack Norworth), between 1902 and 1950, in collaboration with numerous lyricists, he produced some of the most successful and enduring popular music in the American “Tin Pan Alley” songbook. Born Albert Gumm (shortened from Gumbinsky by his parents), he gave up formal education in high school to help support his family by working in his father's shoe store. Encouraged in part by an artistic mother and his older brother Harry's early success as a songwriter, he began to develop his own musical skills and eventually left the shoe store to become musical director of a vaudeville troupe. By this time, Harry had changed his last name from Gumm to the more exotic sounding Von Tilzer, his mother's maiden name with the "Von" added to "gussie it up", and Albert followed suit. Harry Von Tilzer not only supplied a new last name, but also found his brother a job with the Chicago, Illinois field office of his music publishing company. After a year of sharpening his musical and songwriting talents, Albert Von Tilzer moved to New York City, New York in 1900, but was unable to get any of his songs published. He was, however, able to fall back on his skill as a salesman and worked in a Brooklyn shoe store to make ends meet. In 1902, he had his first successful song with "Tell Me That Beautiful Story" (lyrics Arthur J. Lamb), still today considered by many as one of best love songs of the period. The next year he had another hit, "That's What The Daisy Said" (lyrics Wilbur Gumm, one of five Gumm brothers who would all eventually adopt the Von Tilzer name and go into the music business). The success of this song enabled him to start his own publishing firm, York Music Company, later to become Broadway Music Corporation. His string of hits continued over the next few years with "Teasing" (lyrics Cecil Mack), "The Moon Has His Eyes On You" (lyrics Billy Johnson), "A Picnic For Two" (lyrics Arthur J. Lamb), and in collaboration with Jack Norworth, "Honey Boy" and "Good Evening Caroline". By 1908 he was an established and popular songwriter, but that year's publication of "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" cemented his name in the history of American popular song. Although he tried to recapture the same baseball magic in 1910 with a sequel, "Back To The Bleachers For Mine" (lyrics Harry Breen), it was not a success. However, that year did see his next hit, "Put Your Arms Around Me Honey" (lyrics Junie McCree), another song that has endured through the years. His popularity continued throughout the decade, particularly in his collaboration with lyricist Lew Brown. Together they wrote "Please Don't Take My Lovin' Man Away", the World War I ballads "Say Au Revoir, But Not Goodbye", "I May Be Gone For A Long, Long Time", the Prohibition themed "I Never Knew I Had A Wonderful Wife (Until The Town Went Dry)" and the novelty hit "Oh By Jingo!" From 1920 through 1927, he concentrated on writing full scores for Broadway and composed the shows "Honey Girl" (which contained his last hit, "I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time"), "The Gingham Girl", "Adrienne", "Three Doors" and "Burlesque". By the early 1930's, sensing the public's taste in popular music no longer fit his style, he moved to Los Angeles, California and contributed songs and music to films, but by 1935 decided to retire. He wrote one last song in 1950, "I'm Praying to Saint Christopher", and passed away six years later after battling cancer. In 1970, he and his brother Harry were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.