Bob Carleton was an American composer and pianist active in the early twentieth century. Born in Missouri in 1894, he worked as both a performer and composer during a period that saw the rise of jazz and the establishment of Tin Pan Alley as the center of American song publishing. His best-known composition is "Ja-Da," a novelty song published in 1918 that became a popular hit and has endured as a jazz standard. The song's catchy, syncopated melody made it a favorite among early jazz and swing musicians. Carleton died in Burbank, California, in 1956.
