Burton Lane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Burton Lane
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Burton Levy |
| Born | February 2, 1912 New York City, New York |
| Died | January 5, 1997 (aged 84) New York City, New York |
| Occupation(s) | Lyricist, composer |
Burton Lane (born Burton Levy) was an amazing American musician. He was a composer (someone who writes music) and a lyricist (someone who writes song words). He was famous for creating music for plays and movies.
His most popular works include the musicals Finian's Rainbow (from 1947) and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (from 1965).
Contents
Who Was Burton Lane?
Burton Lane was born Burton Levy in New York City, New York on February 2, 1912. His father's name was Lazarus Levy. Later in his life, he became known as Burton Lane.
His Early Life and Career
As a child, Burton Lane studied classical piano. He was very talented! When he was just 14 years old, a famous theater company called the Shuberts asked him to write songs. These songs were for a show called Greenwich Village Follies.
By age 18, he had already written music for songs in another show. This show was called Three's A Crowd. Some of his early songs included "Forget All Your Books" and "Out in the Open Air."
Broadway and Film Hits
Burton Lane became well-known for his Broadway musicals. His biggest hits were Finian's Rainbow in 1947 and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever in 1965.
He also wrote music for other Broadway shows. These included Hold On to Your Hats (1940) and Laffing Room Only (1944). Later, he worked on Carmelina (1979). For On a Clear Day and the movie Royal Wedding, he worked with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner.
Lane also wrote music for more than 30 movies. Some of these films were Dancing Lady (1933) and Babes on Broadway (1941).
Protecting Music Creators
Burton Lane was a leader in the music world. From 1957, he was the president of the American Guild of Authors and Composers. He held this job for 10 terms! During this time, he worked hard to stop music piracy. This means he helped protect songs from being copied illegally.
He also served on the board of directors for American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). This is another important group for musicians.
Famous Songs and Awards
Some of Lane's most famous songs are "Old Devil Moon," "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?," and "Too Late Now." He also wrote "How About You?" and the title song from "On a Clear Day."
In 1965, he won a Grammy Award. He shared it for the Best Broadway Cast Album of the year for On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.
The musical Finian's Rainbow has been very popular. It has been brought back to the stage many times. It was even made into a movie in 1968. This film starred Fred Astaire and Petula Clark. It was directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
Discovering a Star: Judy Garland
Burton Lane is famous for discovering a young talent. He found 13-year-old Frances Gumm, who later became Judy Garland. He saw her perform with her sisters at a theater in Hollywood. Frances sang a song called "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart."
Lane was so impressed that he immediately called Jack Robbins. Robbins was the head of the music department at MGM, a big movie studio. Lane told him he had just heard an amazing new singer.
The next day, Lane brought Frances in for an audition. Lane even played the piano for her! Robbins was amazed by her voice. He quickly brought Louis B. Mayer, the head of MGM, to listen. Mayer was so impressed that he wanted everyone at the studio to hear her. The audition started at 9 AM and lasted until 7:30 PM!
Frances (Judy) was signed to a contract right away. This was the start of her incredible career. Even though Burton Lane didn't work with her again for seven years, he was the one who discovered her.
Famous Shows He Worked On
Here are some of the plays and musicals Burton Lane helped create:
- Earl Carroll's Vanities (1931) – He helped write music and lyrics for this show.
- Singin' the Blues (1931) – He helped compose music for this play.
- Hold On to Your Hats (1940) – He wrote the music for this musical.
- Laffing Room Only (1944) – He wrote both music and lyrics for this show.
- Finian's Rainbow (1947) – He wrote the music for this famous musical. It was brought back to Broadway in 1955, 1960, and 2009.
- On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1965) – He wrote the music for this musical. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his work.
- We Bombed in New Haven (1968) – He wrote a song called "Bomb, Bomb, Bombing Along" for this play.
- Carmelina (1979) – He wrote the music for this musical. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Original Score.
