Will Holt
Encyclopedia
Will Holt is an American
singer, songwriter, librettist
and lyricist
known first and primarily as a folk performer during the 1950s and 1960s and as an interpreter of the music of Kurt Weill
and Bertolt Brecht
in performances and recordings with Martha Schlamme
. Later in life, Holt also made significant contributions to Broadway theatre
during the 1970s.
Born in Portland, Maine
, Holt made his Broadway debut in 1969 with "Come Summer", He enjoyed great success with "The Me Nobody Knows", which opened the following year and won him the Drama Desk Award
for Most Promising Musical Writer and a Tony nomination for Best Lyrics.
In 1974, Holt wrote the book for the Andrews Sisters musical "Over Here", a nostalgic look at the home front during World War II
. With Linda Hopkins
, he conceived and wrote "Me and Bessie", a 1975 revue
about the life and career of blues singer Bessie Smith
.
In 1976, he collaborated with George Abbott
and Richard Adler
on "Music Is", an adaptation of the Shakespeare p lay "Twelfth Night" "Platinum (musical)|", a 1978 musical starring Alexis Smith
as a 1940s-50s 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 L. A. Dramalogue Critics Award for "A Walk on the Wild Side, for which he wrote book, music and lyrics.
He is currently composing "Minstrel Man" about Al Jolson with Sherman Yellen supplying the book.
Holt wrote English lyrics for the Brazilian folk song "Meu limão, meu limoeiro". As "Lemon Tree"
, it was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary
, The Kingston Trio
, The Seekers
, Sandie Shaw
, and Trini Lopez
, among others, and it was heard in television commercials for the aerosol furniture polish Lemon Pledge.
JFK: A Musical Drama
was produced in Dublin in 1997.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, songwriter, librettist
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
and lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
known first and primarily as a folk performer during the 1950s and 1960s and as an interpreter of the music of Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
and Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
in performances and recordings with Martha Schlamme
Martha Schlamme
Martha Schlamme was born Martha Haftel to a Jewish family in Vienna, Austria in 1923. Forced to flee to France in 1938 after the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany, Haftel soon after joined her family in England, where they were then interred as 'enemy aliens' on the Isle of Man...
. Later in life, Holt also made significant contributions to Broadway theatre
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...
during the 1970s.
Born in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, Holt made his Broadway debut in 1969 with "Come Summer", He enjoyed great success with "The Me Nobody Knows", which opened the following year and won him the Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Most Promising Musical Writer and a Tony nomination for Best Lyrics.
In 1974, Holt wrote the book for the Andrews Sisters musical "Over Here", a nostalgic look at the home front during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. With Linda Hopkins
Linda Hopkins
Linda Hopkins is an African American actress and blues and gospel singer. She has recorded classic, traditional, and urban blues, and performed R&B and soul, jazz, and show tunes, all with distinction and style since the 1950s....
, he conceived and wrote "Me and Bessie", a 1975 revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
about the life and career of blues singer Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith was an American blues singer.Sometimes referred to as The Empress of the Blues, Smith was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s...
.
In 1976, he collaborated with George Abbott
George Abbott
George Francis Abbott was an American theater producer and director, playwright, screenwriter, and film director and producer whose career spanned more than nine decades.-Early years:...
and Richard Adler
Richard Adler
Richard Adler is an American lyricist, composer and producer of several Broadway shows.-Biography:Born in New York City, Adler had a musical upbringing, his father being a concert pianist. After serving in the Navy he began his career as a lyricist, teaming up with Jerry Ross in 1950...
on "Music Is", an adaptation of the Shakespeare p lay "Twelfth Night" "Platinum (musical)|", a 1978 musical starring Alexis Smith
Alexis Smith
Alexis Smith was a Canadian-born stage, film, and television actress. She appeared in several major Hollywood movies in the 1940s and had a notable career on Broadway in the 1970s, winning a Tony Award in 1972.-Life and career:...
as a 1940s-50s film star attempting a comeback as a rock singer, . His last Broadway project was the 1979 revival of A Kurt Weill Cabaret
A Kurt Weill Cabaret
A Kurt Weill Cabaret was a Broadway and off-Broadway production featuring the music of Kurt Weill. The off-Broadway production, starring Will Holt and Martha Schlamme opened in 1963...
, for which he performed as well as translating some of the lyrics. In 1988 he won the L. A. Dramalogue Critics Award for "A Walk on the Wild Side, for which he wrote book, music and lyrics.
He is currently composing "Minstrel Man" about Al Jolson with Sherman Yellen supplying the book.
Holt wrote English lyrics for the Brazilian folk song "Meu limão, meu limoeiro". As "Lemon Tree"
Lemon Tree (Will Holt song)
"Lemon Tree" is a folk song written by Will Holt in the 1960s. The tune is based on the Brazilian folk song Meu limão, meu limoeiro, arranged by José Carlos Burle in 1937 and made popular by Brazilian singer Wilson Simonal...
, it was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers...
, The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds...
, The Seekers
The Seekers
The Seekers are an Australian folk-influenced pop music group which were originally formed in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States...
, Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw is an English pop singer, who was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. In 1967 she was the first UK act to win the Eurovision Song Contest...
, and Trini Lopez
Trini Lopez
Trini Lopez is an American singer, guitarist and actor.-Career:Lopez was born in Dallas, Texas, on Ashland Street in the Little Mexico neighborhood. He began his entertainment career in Dallas playing at the Vegas Club, a nightclub owned by Jack Ruby...
, among others, and it was heard in television commercials for the aerosol furniture polish Lemon Pledge.
JFK: A Musical Drama
JFK: A Musical Drama
JFK: A Musical Drama is a musical with music by Will Holt, and book and lyrics by Will Holt and Tom Sawyer. Based loosely on the life of John F. Kennedy. It premiered at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin on April 24th, 1997 and New York in 1998....
was produced in Dublin in 1997.