Lorenz Hart (Broadway Lyricist) - On This Day

May 2024 ยท 4 minute read

Full Name: Lorenz Milton Hart
Profession: Broadway Lyricist

Biography: One half of the famous Broadway musical and songwriting team of Rodgers and Hart with composer Richard Rodgers. Together the wrote for 26 Broadway shows (including "Jumbo", "Babes In Arms", and "Pal Joey"), and several movies between 1919 and 1943.

Some of the pair's most enduring songs include: "I Wish I Were In Love Again," "My Funny Valentine," "Where Or When," "The Lady is a Tramp," "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," "It Never Entered My Mind," "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered," and "I Could Write a Book".

Hart battled depression and alcoholism, and died after contracting pneumonia during a binge following the death of his mother and Rodgers finding Oscar Hammerstein more reliable to work with.

In 1956, Ella Fitzgerald recorded a double album set of Rodgers and Hart in her Verve Songbook series. Frank Sinatra, who starred in the 1957 film adaptation of "Pal Joey", recorded 17 of the duo's songs.

In 1970, Hart was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. In 1992, he was chosen for a Grammy Trustee Award, given to non-performers for significant career contributions to the recording industry. The US Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp of Hart as part of its Broadway Songwriters series.

Born: May 2, 1895
Birthplace: Harlem, New York, USA

Generation: Lost Generation
Star Sign: Taurus

Died: November 22, 1943 (aged 48)
Cause of Death: Pneumonia from exposure after drinking heavily in NYC, months after the passing of his mother

Career Highlights

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Famous Songwriters

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