Matthew Lindsay McPhail, Jr. was born on November 9, 1895, in Park Ridge, Illinois, and passed away on March 3, 1965, in Tupper Lake, Franklin County, New York. He was a prominent American songwriter and pianist known for his contributions to the ragtime and early jazz genres. His father, Matthew Lindsay McPhail, originally from Scotland, was a choral conductor and hymn composer, which influenced McPhail's musical upbringing.

McPhail began his musical career in the mid-1910s and gained recognition in 1917 when he received an award in a music competition. In 1921, he recorded piano solos "Kitten on the Keys" and "San" in New York City for the Pathé and Olympic labels. "San" became his most famous composition, covered by numerous artists and bands throughout the 1920s and beyond, including the Mound City Blue Blowers, Ben Selvin, and Ted Lewis, among others.

In the early 1920s, McPhail led a quintet called McPhail’s Jazz Orchestra Of Chicago, which recorded the piece "Zowie!" By 1923, he was performing with Jack Chapman and His Drake Hotel Orchestra in Chicago, recording "Tie Me to Your Apron Strings Again" for Victor Records.

Throughout his career, McPhail composed several notable pieces, including "Some Little Bird," "Some Stuff," "Cheerio," "Radio Jazz," "Foolish Child," "The Swing Waltz (Don’t Let It Throw You)," and "Amelia Earhart’s Last Flight." He also wrote Christmas songs such as "Who? Santa Claus!," "I Want a Dog for Christmas," and "Santa Claus Is Mad at Me." His work was widely recorded and remains a part of the early jazz and ragtime repertoire.