Theodore August Metz (March 14, 1848 – January 12, 1936) was a German-born American bandleader and composer, best known for writing "There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight".
After emigrating to the United States, he worked in a pharmacy in Brooklyn and then as a gymnastics and swimming instructor in Indianapolis, where he took lessons in orchestration.
In 1886, he settled in Chicago, where he worked on building projects in the daytime and as a musician at night, conducting local bands in ragtime interpretations of familiar tunes.
[1][4] Metz wrote a number of other popular tunes, including "When the Roses Are in Bloom" and "Never Do Nothin' for Nobody", as well as an operetta, Poketa, with libretto by Monroe Rosenfeld.
In 1935, he received a standing ovation at Madison Square Garden when the band played "There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight".