James Vincent Monaco (January 13, 1885 – October 16, 1945)[1] was an Italian-born American composer of popular music.

His family emigrated to the United States when he was six, and he grew up in Albany, New York, where he started playing piano in bars by the age of 18.

[2] He played piano at cafes in Manhattan and at Coney Island, and wrote his first successful song, "Oh, You Circus Day", which was featured in a Broadway revue, Hanky Panky, in 1911.

[4] He moved to Hollywood in 1936 to work for Paramount Studios, and formed a songwriting partnership with lyricist Johnny Burke.

[3] In 2005, a revue of Monaco's music called Ragtime Jimmie opened in New York City as part of the American Composer Series.