Will Holt

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Not to be confused with Willy Holt.
Will Holt
Born(1929-04-30)April 30, 1929
Traditional folk music, musical theatre
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, librettist, lyricist
Years activec. 1950 - 1990s
LabelsCoral, Elektra, Stinson, Atlantic, MGM

Will Holt (April 30, 1929 – May 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, librettist and lyricist. He was known first and primarily as a folk performer during the 1950s, when he made early and influential recordings of such songs as "Sinner Man" and "Lemon Tree", for which he wrote the English lyrics. He later became known as an interpreter of the music of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, and made significant contributions to Broadway theatre during the 1970s.

Biography

Born in

US Air Force. After marrying singer and actress Dolly Jonah (1930-1983),[1] with whom he also performed and recorded, they settled in West Village, Manhattan. He sang regularly in clubs in New York City, St. Louis, Las Vegas and elsewhere, recording his first LP The World of Will Holt for the Coral label in the mid-1950s, and thereafter recorded for several labels including Elektra, Stinson and Atlantic.[2][3][4]

In the 1950s and early 1960s he was known primarily as a folk singer and interpreter of others' songs, notably those of

Kingston Trio in 1960. The song is sung partly in French.[2]

In 1963, his

Tony nomination for Best Lyrics.[3][4]

In 1974, Holt wrote the book for the musical

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. He also wrote the lyrics for the 1978 musical Platinum, starring Alexis Smith as a film star attempting a comeback as a rock singer. His last Broadway project was the 1979 revival of A Kurt Weill Cabaret, for which he performed, as well as translating some of the lyrics. In 1988 he won the Los Angeles Dramalogue Critics Award for A Walk on the Wild Side, a musical based on Nelson Algren’s novel.[3][4] JFK: A Musical Drama was produced in Dublin, Ireland
in 1997.

Holt died on May 31, 2015, in Los Angeles of Alzheimer's disease. He was 86.[4]

Discography

  • The World of Will Holt (Coral, 1957)
  • The Exciting Artistry of Will Holt (Elektra, 1959)
  • Pills To Purge Melancholy (Stinson, 1959)
  • On the Brink (with Dolly Jonah) (Atlantic, 1961)
  • A Will Holt Concert (Stinson, 1963)
  • A Kurt Weill Cabaret (with Martha Schlamme) (MGM, 1963)

References

  1. ^ Colin W. Sargent, "Music Man – Songwriter Will Holt", Portland Monthly, 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2015
  2. ^ a b Bruce Eder, Biography, Allmusic.com. Retrieved 23 July 2015
  3. ^ a b c d e Will Holt, Obituary, Los Angeles Times, June 6, 2015> Retrieved 23 July 2015
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Bruce Weber, "Will Holt, Who Wrote ‘Lemon Tree’ and for the Musical Stage, Dies at 86", New York Times, June 4, 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015
  5. ^ "Sinner Man", The Originals Archived 2016-06-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 23 July 2015

External links

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