Jule Styne

Julius Kerwin Stein, known professionally as Jule Styne, was born on December 31, 1905, in London, England, to a Jewish family whose parents, Anna Kertman and Isadore Stein, had emigrated from Ukraine. A composer, lyricist, book writer, and Broadway performer, Styne became one of the most prolific and celebrated figures in American musical theater, responsible for scores that launched and transformed the careers of major stars across several decades. He died of heart failure in New York City on September 20, 1994, at the age of 88.

Styne demonstrated extraordinary musical ability from childhood. Before his family relocated to Chicago when he was eight years old, he had already performed impressions of well-known singers on the British stage, including Harry Lauder, who personally advised him to pursue the piano. Once in Chicago, he took up formal piano study and proved so gifted that he performed with the Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit symphonies before the age of ten. As a teenager, he attracted the attention of Mike Todd, later a prominent film producer, who commissioned him to write a song for a musical act. That commission marked the first of more than 1,500 published songs Styne would compose over the course of his career. His first hit, "Sunday," was written in 1926, and by 1929 he was performing with the Ben Pollack band.

Styne's path to Hollywood began after he established his own dance band, which brought him to the attention of the film industry. He worked as a vocal coach for 20th Century Fox until Darryl F. Zanuck dismissed him, telling him that songwriting was a more enduring pursuit. Championed in Hollywood by Frank Sinatra, Styne began a long and fruitful collaboration with lyricist Sammy Cahn. Together they produced numerous film songs, including "It's Been a Long, Long Time," which reached number one for three weeks for Harry James and His Orchestra in 1945, and "Five Minutes More." Ten of Styne's songs received Academy Award nominations, among them "I've Heard That Song Before," a number-one hit for Harry James for thirteen weeks in 1943, "I'll Walk Alone," "I Fall in Love Too Easily," and "It's Magic," a number-two hit for Doris Day in 1948. He and Cahn won the 1955 Oscar for Best Original Song for "Three Coins in the Fountain." Styne also collaborated with Leo Robin on the score for the 1955 musical film My Sister Eileen.

Styne wrote his first Broadway score in 1947 with High Button Shoes, again partnering with Cahn, and over the following decades produced the music for a remarkable succession of productions. His Broadway credits include Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Peter Pan (for which he contributed additional music), Bells Are Ringing, Gypsy, Do Re Mi, Funny Girl, Fade Out – Fade In, Darling of the Day, Sugar, and Lorelei, among many others. He appeared on Broadway as a performer in 1973. His collaborators across these productions included Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Stephen Sondheim, Bob Hilliard, Bob Merrill, and Leo Robin. The stars for whom he crafted career-defining scores included Phil Silvers, Carol Channing, Mary Martin, Judy Holliday, Ethel Merman, and Barbra Streisand. Among his most recognized individual songs are "People" and "Don't Rain on My Parade" from Funny Girl, "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "Small World" from Gypsy, "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and "Just in Time" and "The Party's Over" from Bells Are Ringing.

Styne's awards reflect the breadth of his contributions to the musical theater. Hallelujah, Baby! earned him the 1968 Tony Award for Best Original Score as well as the Tony Award for Best Musical. He received a Drama Desk Special Award in 1990, the same year he was honored with the Kennedy Center Honors. He was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972 and to the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981. In 1978, he was the subject of a This Is Your Life segment for British television, when host Eamonn Andrews surprised him in New York's Times Square.

Styne was married to Margaret Brown, who was born in Torquay, England, and the two remained married until his death. His archive, which includes original hand-written compositions, letters, and production materials, is housed at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Margaret Styne oversaw his estate until her own death on February 20, 2022.