Carol Hall | |
|---|---|
 Hall featured in the August 1972 issue ofHit Parader | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1936-04-03)April 3, 1936 Abilene, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | October 11, 2018(2018-10-11) (aged 82) New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Musical theatre |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, lyricist, singer |
Carol Hall (April 3, 1936 – October 11, 2018) was an American composer andlyricist.[1][2] She was best known for composing the music and lyrics for theBroadway stagemusicalThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1978, adapted as a film in 1982). Her other works include the Broadway sequelThe Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public (1994), as well as the Off-Broadway musicalTo Whom It May Concern (c. 1986).
Hall was born in 1936 inAbilene, Texas, United States.[3] She graduated with aB.A. fromSarah Lawrence College in 1960 and joinedASCAP in 1970.
She penned eight one-act plays, all under the title "The Days Are As Grass". The work was acquired by Samuel French for publication and theatrical licensing. In 2012 a production was mounted at Theater of the Spirit, Newcastle, Maine.[4]
Her career included singing in clubs and similar venues. In 1970, she signed toElektra Records as a singer-songwriter and had two albums released on the label in 1971 and 1972,If I Be Your Lady andBeads and Feathers.[5] Her albumHallways: The Songs of Carol Hall was released in 2009 on the LML Music label.[6]
In 1972, Hall was invited byMarlo Thomas to create three songs for the albumFree to Be... You and Me (1972) and the 1974 television special based on the album. The songs were "Parents Are People," "It's All Right to Cry," and "Glad to Have a Friend Like You." In 2012Free to Be... You and Me celebrated its fortieth anniversary with panel discussions about its impact on parenting.
Hall wrote lyrics to "The Two Lonely People" byBill Evans forTogether Again, an album he recorded withTony Bennett. The song was later covered byRoberta Gambarini,Jane Monheit,Mark Murphy, Donna Byrne, andLaurel Massé. She also wrote the lyrics to "Very Early" by Evans, which was recorded by Mark Murphy.
Hall contributed toSesame Street for many years. WithSam Pottle she wrote the song "A Very Simple Dance" (1974). Her other compositions for the program include the feminist-themed "Women Can Be", "The Plant in the Window", "Big Bird's Beautiful Birthday Bash," "Ichi Ni San" (fromBig Bird Goes to Japan), and the Grammy-winning "True Blue Miracle" fromChristmas Eve on Sesame Street. She also wrote the song"Jenny Rebecca" which appeared onBarbra Streisand's albumMy Name Is Barbra (1965).
For a national tour ofThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas starringAnn-Margret, Hall recorded a final (extra) track on the 2001 cast album. The song "A Friend to Me" was written for Ann-Margret and that production. She also composed the music and lyrics for Theatreworks/USA's production ofMax & Ruby, which had a libretto by playwrightGlen Berger, who wrote the book to the musicalSpider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.
She contributed lyrics for a musical based onTruman Capote's short story "A Christmas Memory" (book: Duane Poole, music: Larry Grossman), which premiered at Theatreworks in Palo Alto, California in 2010.[7]
Hall was a Lifetime Member of the Dramatists Guild Council and Vice-President of the Dramatists Guild Fund.[citation needed]
Hall died on October 11, 2018, at the age of 82.[8]
