I Wore a Tunic is a song written by Percy Wenrich, an American composer of ragtime and popular music
I Wore a Tunic is a song written by Percy Wenrich (January 1880 – March 1952) was an American composer of ragtime and popular music. He is best known for writing the songs Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet and When You Wore a Tulip and I Wore a Big Red Rose. For more than 15 years, Wenrich toured with his wife, vaudeville performer, Dolly Connolly; for whom he wrote several hit songs, including Red Rose Rag, Alamo Rag and Moonlight Bay. Wenrich was born in Joplin, Missouri. He was heavily influenced by classic and folk ragtime. His mother provided him with his first piano and organ lessons. By his teenage years, Wenrich was composing his own tunes; for which his father supplied the lyrics. Some of which were even used in the local political scene. In a September 1949 issue of Billboard Magazine, it was noted that Wenrich's songs eulogized Democratic stalwarts as Grover Cleveland and William Jennings Bryan and were sung at political rallies and conventions by glee clubs organized on the spots. During this time, Wenrich joined a local minstrel group, where he began to learn cakewalks and ragtime melodies. On account of this, he became known as The Joplin Kid. He also published his first musical work at age 17 titled L’Inconnu, which Wenrich called a two-step with a fancy title. In 1951, Wenrich's popularity was rediscovered with the Warner Bros. film On Moonlight Bay, starring Doris Day. To celebrate Wenrich, the film studio premiered the film on July 27, 1951, at the Paramount Theater in Joplin, Missouri. As a highlight, Mayor H. Chris Oltman issued a proclamation designating Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet as Joplin's official song. Due to illness, Wenrich did not attend the premiere. He was a founding member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
