Egbert Anson Van Alstyne (1878–1951) was an American songwriter and pianist known for popular and ragtime-era hits of the early 1900s. He was elected to The Lambs in 1910 as a Non-Resident Member.
Egbert Anson Van Alstyne was born on March 5, 1878, in Marengo, Illinois (often incorrectly attributed as 1882), to Charles Van Alstyne and Emma May Rogers, descendants of Dutch immigrants. He took to the keys at an early age and was playing the organ at his grandfather’s church, Marengo United Methodist Church, by the time he was seven. He completed his secondary education in Chicago while also attending the Chicago Musical College (later incorporated into Roosevelt University) on a scholarship. Further piano studies were pursued through a scholarship at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. He often returned to Marengo, where he played concerts at various venues.
By the time he was eighteen, Van Alstyne—often known as Bert—took to the road touring the vaudeville circuit throughout the West. This was interspersed with periods back home, during which he proved to be an effective organ salesman, given his ability to demonstrate the instruments in people’s homes.
Looking to achieve greater success, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a Tin Pan Alley song plugger and later became a full-time songwriter. His first major success came with lyricist Harry H. Williams on the 1903 Broadway song “Navajo,” followed by his best-known hit, “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree” (1905).
In 1913, he formed a successful partnership with lyricist Gus Kahn, producing songs such as “Memories.” Other popular works included “Won’t You Come Over to My House?” and “I’m Afraid to Come Home in the Dark.” He also shared credit with Tony Jackson on the hit “Pretty Baby.” Van Alstyne joined ASCAP in 1923, nearly a decade after it was founded by many of his fellow Lambs and peers.
Although the historical record was often inaccurate, newspapers reported that Van Alstyne was married four times, divorced, and later remarried Ruth Leslie, nearly three decades his junior. He had met Ruth when she was a seven-year-old singer in local theaters and had hired her to promote his songs for publishers.
The composer suffered a stroke in April 1951 while in Miami and was brought back to Chicago in May in an ambulance. Egbert Anson Van Alstyne died in July and was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Evanston, Illinois. With over 400 songs and piano rolls to his name, he was rediscovered by the next generation of songwriters, and his contributions were later recognized with his induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
Researched and Written by Lamb Bruce Roberts (2026)