Luther Henderson
Encyclopedia
Luther Henderson was an African American
arranger, composer, orchestrator
, and pianist
.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri
, he was educated at the Juilliard School of Music where he received a B.S. in 1942. Among the more than fifty Broadway
musicals where he served as orchestrator and/or arranger and/or musical director and/or composer for are Lena Horne
: The Lady and Her Music, Flower Drum Song
, Funny Girl
, No, No Nanette, Purlie Victorious
, Ain't Misbehavin' and Jelly's Last Jam
.
He was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award
. In 1992, Henderson won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations
and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Score for Jelly's Last Jam
. Although Jelly's Last Jam focused on the life of Jelly Roll Morton
, Morton's music was not a prominent feature of the musical. With the exception of a couple of Morton's compositions, Henderson composed the entire original score of this musical with lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. In 1997 Henderson was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Orchestrations
for Play On! Of his earlier works, he composed the orchestrations for the dance numbers for the original Broadway productions of Flower Drum Song
by Richard Rodgers
and Oscar Hammerstein II
and for Funny Girl
. He adapted the music of Thomas "Fats" Waller for the original Broadway production of Ain't Misbehavin' and served as the musical director of the show.
Early in his career he was a staff orchestrator for The U. S. Navy School of Music, Washington, D.C.
from 1944-1946. His longest professional association was with The Canadian Brass for whom he arranged over 100 songs. He also served as orchestrator for Duke Ellington
's orchestral works. He also served as musical director for actress Polly Bergen
and Victor Borge
; and arranged music for many popular singers, including Robert Goulet
, Nancy Wilson
, Ben Vereen
, Leslie Uggams
, Eartha Kitt
, Diahann Carroll, Dinah Shore
, Juliet Prowse and Liza Minnelli
. He performed as "The Professor" on the children's television show Joya's Fun School
.
Luther Henderson died on July 29, 2003 after a long battle with cancer. He was 84.
Some of Henderson's last artistic recognitions included the Pioneer Award
that he, along with his director-actress wife Billie Allen, won at the AUDELCO
"VIV" Awards in November 2002. He also received a posthumous Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts
in 2004.
Recently Luther Henderson's widow director-actor Billie Allen established The Luther Henderson Scholarship Fund at Henderson's alma mater, The Juilliard School of Music.
His daughter, Melanie, is an actress who appeared on Public Television's "The Electric Company."
:
Tony Award for Best Orchestrations
:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
arranger, composer, orchestrator
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
, and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, he was educated at the Juilliard School of Music where he received a B.S. in 1942. Among the more than fifty Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musicals where he served as orchestrator and/or arranger and/or musical director and/or composer for are Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
: The Lady and Her Music, Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song was the eighth stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. The piece opened in 1958 on Broadway and was afterwards presented in the West End and on tour...
, Funny Girl
Funny Girl
Funny Girl is a musical with a book by Isobel Lennart, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The semi-biographical plot is based on the life and career of Broadway, film star and comedienne Fanny Brice and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nicky Arnstein...
, No, No Nanette, Purlie Victorious
Purlie
Purlie is a musical with a book by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose, and Peter Udell, lyrics by Udell, and music by Gary Geld. It is based on Davis' 1961 play Purlie Victorious, which was later made into the 1963 film Gone Are the Days! and which included all of the original Broadway cast, including Ruby...
, Ain't Misbehavin' and Jelly's Last Jam
Jelly's Last Jam
Jelly's Last Jam is a musical with a book by George C. Wolfe, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson...
.
He was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
. In 1992, Henderson won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Score for Jelly's Last Jam
Jelly's Last Jam
Jelly's Last Jam is a musical with a book by George C. Wolfe, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson...
. Although Jelly's Last Jam focused on the life of Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe , known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer....
, Morton's music was not a prominent feature of the musical. With the exception of a couple of Morton's compositions, Henderson composed the entire original score of this musical with lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. In 1997 Henderson was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Orchestrations
Tony Award for Best Orchestrations
-1990s:1997*Jonathan Tunick – Titanic**Michael Gibson - Steel Pier**Luther Henderson - Play On!**Don Sebesky and Harold Wheeler - The Life1998*William David Brohn – Ragtime**Robert Elhai, David Metzger and Bruce Fowler - The Lion King...
for Play On! Of his earlier works, he composed the orchestrations for the dance numbers for the original Broadway productions of Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song was the eighth stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. The piece opened in 1958 on Broadway and was afterwards presented in the West End and on tour...
by Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
and Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
and for Funny Girl
Funny Girl
Funny Girl is a musical with a book by Isobel Lennart, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The semi-biographical plot is based on the life and career of Broadway, film star and comedienne Fanny Brice and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nicky Arnstein...
. He adapted the music of Thomas "Fats" Waller for the original Broadway production of Ain't Misbehavin' and served as the musical director of the show.
Early in his career he was a staff orchestrator for The U. S. Navy School of Music, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
from 1944-1946. His longest professional association was with The Canadian Brass for whom he arranged over 100 songs. He also served as orchestrator for Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
's orchestral works. He also served as musical director for actress Polly Bergen
Polly Bergen
Polly Bergen is an American actress, singer, and entrepreneur.-Career:Bergen appeared in many film roles, most notably in the original Cape Fear opposite Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum...
and Victor Borge
Victor Borge
Victor Borge ,born Børge Rosenbaum, was a Danish comedian, conductor and pianist, affectionately known as The Clown Prince of Denmark,The Unmelancholy Dane,and The Great Dane.-Early life and career:...
; and arranged music for many popular singers, including Robert Goulet
Robert Goulet
Robert Gerard Goulet was a Canadian American entertainer as a singer and actor. He played the role of Lancelot in the Broadway musical Camelot of 1960.-Early life:...
, Nancy Wilson
Nancy Wilson (singer)
Nancy Wilson is an American singer with more than 70 albums, and three Grammy Awards. She has been labeled a singer of blues, jazz, cabaret and pop; a "consummate actress"; and "the complete entertainer." The title she prefers, however, is song stylist...
, Ben Vereen
Ben Vereen
Ben Vereen is an American actor, dancer, and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway theatre shows. Vereen graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts.- Early years :...
, Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams
Leslie Uggams is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her work in Hallelujah, Baby! She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.-Singing:...
, Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
, Diahann Carroll, Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
, Juliet Prowse and Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
. He performed as "The Professor" on the children's television show Joya's Fun School
Joya's Fun School
Joya's Fun School was a children's series that was produced and broadcast by WPIX-TV in New York City from March 1970 to December 1982. The cast included the host Joya , The Professor , Mr. BB and a bookworm puppet named Seymour...
.
Luther Henderson died on July 29, 2003 after a long battle with cancer. He was 84.
Some of Henderson's last artistic recognitions included the Pioneer Award
Pioneer Award
Pioneer Award may refer to:*EFF Pioneer Award presented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation*SFRA Pioneer Award presented by the Science Fiction Research Association*INCOSE Pioneer Award presented by the International Council on Systems Engineering...
that he, along with his director-actress wife Billie Allen, won at the AUDELCO
AUDELCO
AUDELCO, the Audience Development Committee, Inc., was established in 1973 by the late Vivian Robinson to honor excellence in New York African American Theatre through presentation of Vivan Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Awards...
"VIV" Awards in November 2002. He also received a posthumous Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
in 2004.
Recently Luther Henderson's widow director-actor Billie Allen established The Luther Henderson Scholarship Fund at Henderson's alma mater, The Juilliard School of Music.
His daughter, Melanie, is an actress who appeared on Public Television's "The Electric Company."
Awards and recognition
Tony Award for Best Original ScoreTony Award for Best Original Score
The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics...
:
- 1992 Nomination, Jelly's Last JamJelly's Last JamJelly's Last Jam is a musical with a book by George C. Wolfe, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson...
by Jelly Roll MortonJelly Roll MortonFerdinand Joseph LaMothe , known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer....
(music), Luther Henderson (music), and Susan BirkenheadSusan BirkenheadSusan Birkenhead is an American lyricist.Birkenhead made her Broadway debut as one of a team of songwriters contributing to Working , for which she received her first Tony Award nomination. Her second was earned for Jelly's Last Jam , which won her the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics and a...
(lyrics)
Tony Award for Best Orchestrations
Tony Award for Best Orchestrations
-1990s:1997*Jonathan Tunick – Titanic**Michael Gibson - Steel Pier**Luther Henderson - Play On!**Don Sebesky and Harold Wheeler - The Life1998*William David Brohn – Ragtime**Robert Elhai, David Metzger and Bruce Fowler - The Lion King...
:
- 1997 Nomination, Play On! by Duke Ellington (music), Luther Henderson (music), and Cheryl L. West (book)