Lebowsky, Stanley (26th November 1926-19th October 1986)

He was a composer, songwriter, arranger, pianist conductor and music director born in Minneapolis, Minnesota who took private studies and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

He worked as an accompanist and conductor for several touring stage musicals that include The Boy Friend, Can Can and Guys and Dolls.

Broadway would be where he recognised for his work and in 1958 was the music and vocal director for Whoop-Up. In 1960 he worked on Irma La Douce and this led to him being nominated for a Tony Award as Best Conductor and Musical Director in 1961.

His success wasn’t just limited to Broadway though as his song “The Wayward Wind” written with his chief music collaborator Herb Newman became a chart topping song for Gogi Grant and Frank Ifield and was also a chart hitting song for several others. He joined ASCAP in 1964 and hundreds of his compositions have been recorded over the years, including “Don’t Go Home” recorded by Playmates, “Every Little Thing I Do” by Dion and the Belmonts, “Dancin’ in the Streets” by the Ames Brothers, “Love Is All” by Jackie Wilson, “The Blue Cha Cha” and numerous others.

In 1962 he worked on Broadway on the musical comedy A Family Affair and the following year he was the musical director on Tovarich. Two years later in 1965 he took on the same position for Half a Sixpence and in 1966 worked on the musical adaption of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

When the 1970s came around he wrote the music and was the vocal arranged for on Gantry in 1970, Ari in 1971 and Pippin in 1972. In 1975 he became the musical director of Chicago and 2 years later The Act. He rounded out the ’70s working on the musical The 1940’s Radio Hour as well as writing the song “Take Off with Us” for the award winning 1979 musical film All that Jazz directed by the dance and choreographer Bob Fosse and later the 1999 musical revue Fosse.

The turn of the 1980s were no less busy when he worked on Can-Can and The Moony Shapiro Songbook, both in 1981. In 1982 it was Cats and three years later in 1985 he was the music arranger for Singin’ in the Rain, which he also wrote the song “Hub Bub” for.

In 1986 he worked on what would be his final production on Broadway when he was the musical director on Me and My Girl.

He died of heart attack in New York City in October 1986 when he was 59 years old.

Frank Ifield recordings
The Wayward Wind (Stanley Lebowsky/Herb Newman)
Columbia 45-DB 4960

Sources:

Lebowsky, Stanley (26th November 1926-19th October 1986)

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