Styne, Jule

orig. Julius Kerwin Stein

(born Dec. 31, 1905, London, Eng.—died Sept. 20, 1994, New York, N.Y., U.S.) British-born U.S. songwriter. Born to Ukrainian Jewish parents, he and his family settled in Chicago, Ill., U.S., in 1912. His first hit song was published in 1926. In the early 1930s he changed his name to avoid confusion with another performer. He moved to Hollywood, Calif., in 1937 to write film musicals. In the 1940s he worked with lyricist Sammy Cahn, writing ballads for Frank Sinatra, the film musical Anchors Aweigh (1945), and the Broadway musical High Button Shoes (1947). He collaborated with other lyricists on musicals such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949), Bells Are Ringing (1956), Gypsy (1959), and Funny Girl (1964). His songs include “Let It Snow,” “The Party's Over,” and “People.”

Styne, (b. Julius Kerwin Stein) Jule (1905–94) composer, producer; born in London, England. He immigrated to the United States in 1912 and attended the Chicago College of Music. In the 1920s and 1930s he led his own bands and played piano with Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller. His first Broadway scores were for High Button Shoes (1947) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949). He did the music for Bells are Ringing (1956) with librettists-lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and he wrote Gypsy (1959) with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. He also wrote Funny Girl (1964), with lyrics by Bob Merrill. He wrote popular songs for over 80 films, including "Three Coins in a Fountain" (1954), words by Sammy Cahn. He was also the producer of several plays and musicals. In the 1980s he taught songwriting at New York University.