Lucy Elizabeth Simon (May 5, 1940 – October 20, 2022) was an American composer for the theatre and of popular songs. She recorded and performed as a singer and songwriter, and was known for the musicals '' The Secret Garden'' (1991) and ''

Doctor Zhivago ''Doctor Zhivago'' is the title of a novel by Boris Pasternak and its various adaptations. Description The story, in all of its forms, describes the life of the fictional Russian physician and poet Yuri Zhivago and deals with love and loss during ...

'' (2011). In 1963, Simon began performing with her sister

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include " Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Th ...

the Simon Sisters The Simon Sisters was a folk music sister duo consisting of Carly Simon and Lucy Simon. They released three albums between 1964–1969 before Lucy left to get married. Lucy had a minor solo career and released two albums in the 1970s before find ...

. The duo released three albums, beginning with ''

Meet the Simon Sisters ''Meet the Simon Sisters'' is the debut studio album by the Simon Sisters, released by Kapp Records, in 1964. Consisting of sisters Lucy Simon and Carly Simon, the duo had a minor hit with "Winkin’, Blinkin’ And Nod", a children's poem by Eu ...

'', which featured the song " Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod"; based on the poem by

Eugene Field Eugene Field Sr. (September 2, 1850 – November 4, 1895) was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays. He was known as the "poet of childhood". Early life and education Field was born in St. Louis, Missouri ...

, the song became a minor hit and reached No. 73 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Simon won a Grammy Award in 1981 with her husband, David Levine, in the Best Recording for Children category for '' In Harmony'', and again in 1983 in the same category for ''

In Harmony 2 ''In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record'' and ''In Harmony 2'' are two compilation albums of children's music performed by various artists, released in 1980 and 1981, respectively. Of the two albums, only the first album charted, reaching No. 156 ...

''. Simon received

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

and

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

nominations for composing the music for the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical ''The Secret Garden''.

Early life and education

Simon was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on May 5, 1940. Her father,

Richard L. Simon Richard Leo Simon (March 6, 1899 – July 29, 1960) was an American book publisher. He was a Columbia University graduate, co-founder of the publishing house Simon & Schuster, and father of singer-songwriter Carly Simon. Early life Richard Leo ...

, was the co-founder of the book publisher Simon & Schuster, Inc.; her mother, Andrea (Heinemann) Simon, was a former switchboard operator, civil rights activist, and singer. She was the older sister of musician

. Her father was from a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family, while her maternal grandfather Friedrich was of German descent. Lucy's maternal grandmother, known as "Chibie", was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

from

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

, and was of

pardo ''Pardos'' (feminine ''pardas'') is a term used in the former Portuguese and Spanish colonies in the Americas to refer to the triracial descendants of Southern Europeans, Amerindians and West Africans. In some places they were defined as ne ...

heritage, a freed-slave descendant (the show ''

Finding Your Roots ''Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'' is a documentary television series hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. that premiered on March 25, 2012, on PBS. In each episode, celebrities are presented with a "book of life" that is compiled wi ...

'' tested Carly Simon's DNA as "10 percent black"), and was sent to England and raised by nuns until the age of sixteen. In addition to her younger sister Carly, she had an older sister, opera singer

Joanna Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from he, יוֹחָנָה, translit=Yôḥānāh, lit=God is gracious. Variants in English include Joan, Joann, Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in English are Jan, Jane, Janet, Janice ...

, and a younger brother, photographer Peter. Simon grew up in Fieldston, a section of Riverdale in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

.Jackson, Nancy Beth
"If You're Thinking of Living In/Fieldston; A Leafy Enclave in the Hills of the Bronx"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', February 17, 2002. Accessed May 3, 2008. "After World War II, Richard Simon, founder of Simon & Schuster, bought a Georgian red-brick Baum house where he brought up his three musical daughters: Joanna, Lucy and Carly." She attended the

Fieldston School Ethical Culture Fieldston School (ECFS), also referred to as Fieldston, is a private independent school in New York City. The school is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League. The school serves approximately 1,700 students with 480 facult ...

, before studying at

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

, graduating in 1962.

Career

Simon began her professional career singing folk tunes with sister

and later folk-rock. Simon's setting of "

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" is a popular poem for children written by American writer and poet Eugene Field and published on March 9, 1889. The original title was "Dutch Lullaby". The poem is a fantasy bed-time story about three children sailing a ...

" has been recorded by many diverse artists, including

the Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...

Mitzie Collins Mitzie Collins (born August 29, 1941) is an interpreter of traditional United Kingdom, British and United States, American vocal and instrumental music. She has arranged songs, including Genesee County waltzes. Collins is a player of the dulcimer ...

, and the Big Three (

Cass Elliot Ellen Naomi Cohen (September 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974), known professionally as Mama Cass and later on as Cass Elliot, was an American singer and voice actress. She was a member of the singing group the Mamas & the Papas. After the group brok ...

Tim Rose Timothy Alan Patrick Rose (September 23, 1940 – September 24, 2002) (unofficial website by long-term correspondent of Rose's) was an American singer and songwriter who spent much of his life in London, England, and had more success in E ...

, and James Hendricks). Biography and listing

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

, accessed February 2, 2010 In the mid-1970s, after a number of years away from recording, Lucy released two albums on the

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

label of mostly original compositions, along with a few collaborations and covers. Her self-titled debut album was more folk-rock in orientation while her second album, ''Stolen Time'', had a contemporary pop sound. Carly Simon and

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-sell ...

provided backing vocals on half of the songs from ''Stolen Time''. Simon won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in 1981 with her husband, David Levine, in the Best Recording for Children category for '' In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record'', and again in 1983 in the same category for ''

''. Simon made her

debut as the composer of '' The Secret Garden'', for which she was nominated for a 1991 Tony Award for Best Original Score and a 1991

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The award was originally entitled Best Composer, befo ...

. She also wrote songs for the Off-Broadway show '' A... My Name Is Alice''. She composed the music for a musical version of the Russian novel ''

,'' with lyricists Michael Korie and

Amy Powers Amy Powers (born 1960) is a lyricist, songwriter and producer who writes songs for film, television, and theater. Career Early life Powers graduated from Vassar College, and then attended Columbia University (M.B.A) and Harvard University law de ...

and book writer

Michael Weller Michael Weller (born September 26, 1942) is a Brooklyn-based playwright and screen writer. His plays include '' Moonchildren'', ''Loose Ends'', ''Spoils of War'' and ''Fifty Words''. His screenplays include ''Ragtime'', for which he was nominat ...

. The musical had its world premiere at the

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, California, in May 2006. A new version of ''Doctor Zhivago'' ran in

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

, and

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

in 2011 under the title ''Doctor Zhivago – A New Musical'', starring

Anthony Warlow Anthony Warlow (born 18 November 1961) is an Australian musical theatre performer, noted for his character acting and considerable vocal range. He is a classically trained lyric baritone and made his debut with the Australian Opera in 1980. ...

in the title role and

Lucy Maunder Lucy Maunder, is an Australian cabaret and theatre performer. She originated the role of Lara in the Australian premiere of ''Doctor Zhivago'' opposite Anthony Warlow, and has toured with her own cabaret ''Songs in the Key of Black'', releasing ...

as Lara, the sensitive doctor's secret muse. The musical was produced by John Frost with

Des McAnuff Desmond Steven McAnuff (born June 19, 1952) is the American-Canadian former artistic director of Canada's Stratford Festival and director of such Broadway musical theatre productions as '' Big River'', '' The Who's Tommy'' and '' Jersey Boys''. ...

directing. Anthony Warlow starred in the Australian production of ''The Secret Garden'' and at that time Simon said of him, "There is my Zhivago". The musical premiered on Broadway on March 27, 2015 (previews), with an official opening on April 21, 2015, at the

Broadway Theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''T ...

, but was not successful, closing after 26 previews and 23 regular performances. Simon also contributed to the Off-Broadway musical ''Mama and Her Boys''.

Personal life

Simon married David Y. Levine in 1967. They remained married for 55 years until her death. Together, they had two children: Julie and James. Simon died on October 20, 2022, aged 82, at her home in

Piermont, New York Piermont is a village incorporated in 1847 in Rockland County, New York, United States. Piermont is in the town of Orangetown, located north of the hamlet of Palisades, east of Sparkill, and south of Grand View-on-Hudson, on the west bank of th ...

. She had suffered from metastatic

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...

prior to her death, which came just one day after her sister Joanna died of thyroid cancer.

Awards and nominations

Drama Desk Awards

The

Drama Desk Awards The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. The awards are considered a significant American theater distinction.

Grammy Awards

The

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

are awarded annually by

The Recording Academy The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy A ...

of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry. Often considered the highest music honour, the awards were established in 1958.

Tony Awards

The

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

recognize the excellence in live

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''T ...

. The awards are presented by the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

and The Broadway League.

Discography

Studio albums

The Simon Sisters * 1964: ''

'' * 1966: ''

Cuddlebug ''Cuddlebug'' is the second studio album by the Simon Sisters, released by Kapp Records, in 1966. The masters for the songs were recorded during the Meet the Simon Sisters sessions two years earlier. The album was produced by up-and-coming music ...

'' * 1969: ''

The Simon Sisters Sing the Lobster Quadrille and Other Songs for Children ''The Simon Sisters Sing The Lobster Quadrille and Other Songs for Children'' is the third and final studio album by the Simon Sisters, released by Columbia Records, in 1969. The album features musical settings of classic children's poetry. ...

'' * 1973: '' Lucy & Carly – The Simon Sisters Sing for Children'' * 2006: '' Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod: The Kapp Recordings'' * 2008: '' Carly & Lucy Simon Sing Songs for Children'' Solo * 1975: ''Lucy Simon'' * 1977: ''Stolen Time''

Singles

The Simon Sisters * 1964: " Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod" Solo * 1975: "Sally Go 'Round the Sun" * 1977: "If You Ever Believed"

Other appearances

* 1980: "I Have a Song" by Lucy Simon – '' In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record'' * 1981: "Maryanne" by Lucy & Carly Simon – ''

'' * 1981: ''The Rodgers and Hart Album'' (Simon appears on two cuts of this

William Bolcom William Elden Bolcom (born May 26, 1938) is an American composer and pianist. He has received the Pulitzer Prize, the National Medal of Arts, a Grammy Award, the Detroit Music Award and was named 2007 Composer of the Year by Musical America. He ...

and

Joan Morris Joan Morris (born February 10, 1943) is an American mezzo-sopranoProfile
, bolcomandmorris. ...

album)

References

External links

* *
Pop Music and the New Musical
– ''Working in the Theatre Seminar'' video at American Theatre Wing.org, September 2005
Biography at filmreference.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Lucy Carly Simon 1940 births 2022 deaths Deaths from breast cancer Deaths from cancer in New York (state) American musical theatre composers Broadway composers and lyricists Bennington College alumni Musicians from the Bronx People from Riverdale, Bronx Grammy Award winners Jewish American songwriters American people of German-Jewish descent American people of Swiss-German descent American people of Cuban descent Simon family (publishing)