Three Little Fishies Itty Bitty Poo 1939 Hal Kemp IM-HO Cover Art

Illustrated sheet music for voice and piano with ukulele, guitar, and banjo chord symbols. Introduced by Hal Kemp and His Orchestra. Original 1939 copyright. One of the most recognizable novelty songs of the Swing Era, Three Little Fishies (Itty Bitty Poo) became an immediate popular sensation in 1939 after its introduction by Hal Kemp and His Orchestra, with later hit recordings by Kay Kyser, Glenn Miller, and numerous others. The whimsical 'Boop Boop Dit-Tem Dot-Tem What-Tem Chu!' refrain made the song a nationwide favorite, while its playful story of three adventurous fish escaping a shark ('whale!') secured its place among classic American novelty songs. This copy retains the striking original cover illustrated and signed by IM-HO, whose streamlined cartoon fish and Art Deco-inspired lettering capture the playful visual style of late-1930s commercial illustration. Condition is Very Good. Original wrappers remain bright with attractive color, showing light rubbing, mild edge wear, gentle corner creasing, and a small chip at the lower spine edge. Original staples remain secure. Interior pages are clean and complete with light age toning and no significant markings observed. The rear advertising panel remains crisp, while the inside front cover advertises Bing Crosby's Sing a Song of Sunbeams, further anchoring the publication within its original 1939 musical context. Overall, an attractive and well-preserved example of one of the defining novelty songs of the pre-war American popular music era. Horace Kirby 'Saxie' Dowell was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader, singer, and songwriter who became one of the best-known novelty song composers of the Swing Era. A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, he attended the University of North Carolina, where he met future bandleader Hal Kemp, joining Kemp's orchestra in 1925 as a saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist, vocalist, and arranger. Dowell's greatest success came in 1939 with 'Three Little Fishies (Itty Bitty Poo),' a nationwide hit that launched his own orchestra and was followed by another enduring favorite, 'Playmates.' During World War II he served as a U.S. Navy bandleader aboard the aircraft carrier USS Franklin, later returning to music and radio before retiring to Arizona. The distinctive cover illustration was created by IM-HO, the professional pseudonym and studio mark of illustrator Robert M. Holley (1913-) and the Immerman-Holley Art Studio, which he co-founded with fellow illustrator Sol Immerman in New York during the late 1930s. After studying at the Art Students League of New York and the George Pearse Ennis School of Painting, Holley first gained national recognition through his humorous barnyard cartoons for Esquire magazine. The IM-HO studio quickly became one of the dominant forces in American sheet music illustration, producing more than 200 covers between 1937 and 1944 and reportedly handling as much as 80% of the industry's cover art at its peak. Their lively, modernist designs became synonymous with the Swing Era, appearing on countless popular songs and patriotic standards. Following the studio's success, Holley established his own advertising and graphic arts firm, Robert Holley Associates (later Robert Holley & Co., Inc.), where he continued a distinguished career serving prominent commercial clients. Today, IM-HO illustrations are recognized as highly collectible examples of American commercial art from the golden age of sheet music publishing. …