British-born American songwriter
Kennedy Center Honoree, 1990.
Talented and prolific songwriter whose many standards, usually written in collaboration with Sammy Cahn , Betty Comden and Adolph Green , include: "Ive Heard That Song Before"; "I Should Care"; "Its Been a Long, Long Time"; "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"; "The Christmas Waltz"; "Never Never Land"; "The Partys Over"; "Three Coins in the Fountain"; "Together Wherever We Go"; "Small World"; "Just in Time"; "Make Someone Happy" and "People".
Won Broadways Tony Award twice in 1968 for "Hallelujah, Baby!" and as Best Composer and Lyricist, with collaborators Betty Comden and Adolph Green and for music as part of Best Musical win. Previously, he had five Tony nominations: in 1957, for music as part of Best Musical nomination for "Bells Are Ringing"; in 1960, for music as part of Best Musical nomination for "Gypsy"; in 1961, for music as part of Best Musical nomination for "Do Re Mi" and in 1964, as both Best Composer and Lyricist, with collaborator Bob Merrill and for music as part of Best Musical nomination for "Funny Girl".
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.
Great-granduncle of Tracey E. Bregman.
One of three children born to Ukrainian immigrants who owned a butter-and-egg store in Bethnal Green, London.
Studied at the Chicago College of Music at the age of eight. Five years later, he was told by his piano teacher that his hands were too small and he would never make it as a concert pianist.
With Edgar Bensons Orchetra in 1926, wrote his first hit tune, "Sunday", to impress a girl. Subsequently joined the band of Ben Pollack , where he worked alongside Benny Goodman , Glenn Miller and Charlie Spivak.
Estimated in 1987, that he had written 2,000 songs, of which he had published 1,500, 200 of them being hits.
Noted for his rapid-fire delivery, called verbal shorthand, or "Styne-ese" by his biographer, Theodore Taylor: a mid-20th century language "spoken and understood by only one man. Noted for its incomprehensibility. Delivered in darting, unfinished broken phrases". (NY Times, Sept. 1994).
"Funny Girl" is Stynes favorite movie made from his work. His rationale is that the same librettist, Isabel Lennart did the screenplay.
His musical, "Funny Girl" at the Marriott Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for the 2003 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Musical Production.
