Vee Lawnhurst(1905-1992)
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Vee Lawnhurst was a virtuoso pop pianist, a radio pioneer, and made
records and numerous piano rolls before she tried her hand at writing
popular songs. Although she may have been unaware of it, she shared her
birthday with the "King of Ragtime,"
Scott Joplin (1868-1917). She often
performed brilliant duets with other pianists, notably Constance Mering
and Muriel Pollack. Despite her claims of timidity, she also sang
nicely on records and radio. After the death of her lyric-writing
partner, Roy Turk, she formed a team
with Tot Seymour, and their publisher
(Famous Music) advertised them as "the first successful team of girl
song writers in popular music history." 1935 was Seymour & Lawnhurst's
best year. They had numerous songs that 'made' Your Hit Parade which
began broadcasting in the spring of 1935. "And Then Some" made it to #1
and remained on the program for 11 weeks, "Cross Patch" (6 weeks),
"Accent On Youth" (4 weeks), and "No Other One" stayed on for 11 weeks.
As a "rhythm" pianist, Lawnhurst had a style marked by its harmonic and
rhythmic invention, fluidity and delicacy. Publishers said that she was
such a superb demonstrator of her songs, everything she played sounded
utterly rhapsodic --- even when the songs were not up to past
standards! She gradually stopped performing in public, preferring to
write music, and eventually vanished from the public eye, enjoying her
retirement in her Manhattan apartment with her Mason & Hamlin piano and
happy memories. Her favorite song was
Johnny Mercer and
David Raksin's "Laura."