Elliot Lawrence

American bandleader, pianist, composer, & music director. Born February 14, 1925 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Died July 2, 2021 in New York City, New York.

After music studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Lawrence led a series of dance bands; playing arrangements by Lawrence himself and by Gerry Mulligan and Al Cohn. He also played piano on cool jazz recordings by the Four Brothers and Manny Albam in 1957 and on Woody Herman's recording of Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto in 1958.

In the 1960s, Lawrence began to compose and conduct for TV, films and Broadway. He won 9 Emmy Awards for his musical direction.