Original Cast Recording

A New York-born composer and lyricist best known for his Broadway musicals, Jerry Herman has received seven Tony nominations and three Tony Awards during his songwriting career. It was Jerry Herman's mother who encouraged her son to pursue a career in songwriting. His mother set up a meeting with the composer of Guys and Dolls, Frank Loesser. After one afternoon with the famous composer, Jerry Herman, at the age of 17, decided to take a shot at songwriting. He attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL, where he graduated in 1953. After graduation, Herman returned to New York where he wrote a successful downtown cabaret show. This was the start of a promising career. In 1961, Jerry Herman was commissioned to work on the Broadway musical Milk and Honey. The success of his work garnered him his first Tony Award nomination. From there Herman's career flourished. In 1964 Herman helped to produce the Broadway hit Hello, Dolly! The show won a Tony Award in 1964 for Best Musical. Hello, Dolly! ran from 1964-1971 and included more than 2,500 performances. His credits also include the Broadway shows Mame, Dear World, Mack and Mabel, The Grand Tour, and La Cage aux Folles in 1984. The Grand Tour, produced in 1979, received two Tony nominations for Best Musical and Best Score. La Cage aux Folles was one of Herman's greatest accomplishments. The show received nine Tony nominations including six awards for Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (George Hearn), Best Director of a Musical (Arthur Laurents), Best Book (Harvey Fierstein), Best Score (Jerry Herman), and Best Costume Designer (Theoni V. Aldredge). Jerry's Girls, a collection of Jerry Herman's favorite Broadway songs, debuted in 1985. This grand list of accomplishments led to seven Tony Award nominations. Herman's work has not gone unrewarded. In the '70s, after theater renovations, the Ring Theatre at the University of Miami was renamed the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre as a tribute to its alumnus. He was also inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Theatre Hall of Fame in 1986. His credits go beyond Broadway. Herman has worked on television and film programs and has released several albums. In the '90s Herman's work broadened to the television and recording scene, as he divided his time between Los Angeles and New York while constantly songwriting. In 1996 he wrote songs and collaborated with his friend and colleague Angela Lansbury. The two worked together to produce Mrs. Santa Claus. In 1994 he worked with comedienne, entertainer, and singer Carol Channing; a new 30th anniversary Hello, Dolly! cast recording was released that year, containing music from the 1964 Broadway hit. Broadway at the Hollywood Bowl, a collection of Broadway songs, was released in 1997. More recently, Herman was honored with an evening of his songs at Carnegie Hall benefiting the Gay Men's Health Crisis, and he was also honored at a Los Angeles benefit for the Actors' Fund of America in 2001, as documented by the 2003 release Tap Your Troubles Away: The Words and Music of Jerry Herman. Jerry Herman has been a musical success, some say, because he began at a young age. His style and personality have contributed to his successes with Broadway shows, television movies, and recorded albums.
— Kim Summers , All Music Guide