Stephen J. Lawrence obit

Stephen J. Lawrence, ‘Sesame Street’ Composer and ‘Free to Be… You and Me’ Musical Director, Dies at 82

 

He was not on the list.

Stephen J. Lawrence, a musical talent whose credits included 1972’s “Free to Be… You and Me” and a prolific run on “Sesame Street,” died on Thursday at Clara Maas Medical Center in Belleville, New Jersey. He was 82 years old.

His death was confirmed to Variety by his wife Cantor Cathy Lawrence.

Born on Sept. 5, 1939, Lawrence achieved a body of work as a musician that spanned over five decades. He is best known for his work as musical director and co-producer with Bruce Hart on the gold album “Free to Be… You and Me.” Lawrence composed the album’s title song, as well as the tracks “When We Grow Up” and “Sisters and Brothers.”

Lawrence also served as composer, music director, arranger and conductor on the children’s television series “Sesame Street” for over 30 years, composing over 300 songs and scores for the program, including “Fuzzy and Blue (and Orange),” which he co-wrote with David Axelrod. He received three Daytime Emmy awards for outstanding achievement in music direction and composition during his tenure on the show.

Lawrence’s creative investment in children’s entertainment and education led him to work with the Jim Henson Company, composing the score for “The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss.” In 1998, he and Granville Burgess co-founded the nonprofit Quill Entertainment Company, which works to create musicals about American history for children.

Other credits from Lawrence include the score for 1979’s “Sooner or Later” and its single “You Take My Breath Away.” He also composed scores for “Bang the Drum Slowly,” “One Summer Love,” “Alice, Sweet Alice,” 1987’s “Red Riding Hood” and the animated HBO musical “The Tale of Peter Rabbit.” Lawrence also served as music director at Temple Sinai in Stamford, Conn. from 2003 to 2022.

Lawrence is survived by his wife Cantor Cathy Lawrence; brother Robert; daughter Hannah Jones Anderson; son-in-law Seth Anderson; grandson Arthur; and stepsons Sam and Nick Kline. A private backyard memorial service will be held on Saturday.

 

Awards and nominations

Three Emmy Awards: Outstanding Music Direction and Composition, Sesame Street 1989-1990, 2001-2002, and 2002-2003.

Emmy nominations for Sesame Street: 2008, 2004, 1999-2001, 1995-1997, 1994-1995, 1989-1990.

Emmy certificate for Free To Be...You And Me, 1974.

Emmy certificate for Hot Hero Sandwich (Title Song), 1979-1980.

Gold Single for You Take My Breath Away - Sales of one million records. 1978. Sung by Rex Smith. Lyrics by Bruce Hart.

Gold Album for Free to Be... You and Me - Composed the title song and four others for Marlo Thomas's Free to Be... You and Me, the ABC television special (1972). Musical Director.

Gold Record for Sooner Or Later, the soundtrack of the 1979 NBC TV movie[4] which included "You Take My Breath Away", signifying sales of 500,000 copies.

Music Award from the Paris International Film Festival of Fantasy and Science Fiction for Alice, Sweet Alice (also known as 'Communion').

TV credits

Sesame Street Television series. Composed over 300 songs and scores. Won three Emmys for “Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition. Arranger and Conductor. 1984-2012.

Free to Be... You and Me. ABC television special based on the record and book, 1974. Composed title song and four others; Musical Director and Arranger.

Sooner or Later. NBC television movie, 1979. Composed original songs and score.

It Happened One Christmas. Universal/ABC television movie, 1977; starring Marlo Thomas and Orson Welles. Composed score.

Sesame Street Jam: A Musical Celebration. Sesame Street musical special, 1993-1994. Composed songs.

Sesame Street Celebrates Around the World. Sesame Street New Year's Eve television special, 1993. Composed songs and score.

Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sesame Street television special, 1983. Composed songs.

The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. Jim Henson Productions and Nickelodeon television series, 1996–97. Composed score.

"The Tale of Peter Rabbit". An episode of HBO's Storybook Musicals series, an animated musical starring Carol Burnett. Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. Written by Tony Geiss. Composed songs and score.

Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer – TV movie, Produced by Grosso-Jacobson. Composed score.

Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz – Animated television special that aired on CBS in 1980. Starring Sid Caesar. Composed songs and score.

Hothouse – Lorimar/|ABC television series. Composed score.

Feeling Good – Children's Television Workshop series. 1971-1972. Composer and music director.

Film credits

Jennifer on My Mind (1971) starring Michael Brandon and Tippy Walker. Composed score.

Hurry Up, or I'll Be 30 (1973) starring Danny DeVito. Composed score.

Bang the Drum Slowly (1973) starring Robert De Niro, Michael Moriarty and Vincent Gardenia. Composed original score and arranged additional music.

One Summer Love (1976), also released as Dragonfly, starring Susan Sarandon and Beau Bridges. Composed score.

Alice, Sweet Alice (1976), also known as Communion, starring Brooke Shields. Composed score.

Mirrors (1978) starring Kitty Winn. Composed score.

The Emperor's New Clothes (1987). Live action musical starring Sid Caesar and Robert Morse. Composed songs. Lyrics by Michael Korie.

Red Riding Hood (1989). Live action musical starring Isabella Rossellini and Craig T. Nelson. Composed songs and score. Lyrics by Michael Korie.

Music supervisor for seven live action feature musicals: Cannon MovieTales.

Theater

Now Is The Time For All Good Men. 1967. Music Director and Co-Orchestrator.

Composed incidental music for Little Duck by Billy Aronson at Ensemble Studio Theater. 2009

Composed three songs for A... My Name Is Alice. Outer Critics Drama Award.

Composed incidental music for the Broadway play The Big Love starring Tracey Ullman.

Composed incidental score for Manhattan Theater Club production of Some People, Some Other People, And What They Finally Do.

Composed score for No Dogs Allowed, a children's musical. Book by Sonia Manzano, Lyrics by Billy Aronson. Commissioned by Actor's Playhouse, Coral Gables, Florida 2006. Revived 2008. New production at Atlantic Theater Company, New York City 2009.

Composed songs for American history musicals for children for his company, Quill Entertainment Company. Shows include: Everybody's Watching: The Making of the Constitution, Glory Road (Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad), Dream (Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery bus boycott), Paul Revere Rides Again

Blue Roses (based on The Glass Menagerie). 2014. Orchestration consultant.