Lane, Burton, 1912-1997

Burton Lane (born Levy; February 2, 1912 – January 5, 1997) was an American composer primarily known for his theatre and film scores. His most popular and successful works include the Broadway musicals Finian's Rainbow (1947) and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1965). Born in Manhattan, Lane was a talented performer and composer from childhood. His skill led to friendship with George Gershwin and the Gershwin family; Lane considered George to be his greatest influence. Lane began his career writing popular songs and music for Broadway shows in his teens. The Great Depression sent Lane to Hollywood, where he worked for Paramount Pictures and other studios for more than twenty years. He wrote songs with lyricists including Harold Adamson, Ralph Freed, and Frank Loesser. Some of their songs became popular successes and jazz standards, including "Everything I Have Is Yours", "I Hear Music" and "How About You?". Lane also claimed to have discovered Judy Garland performing with her sisters in a Hollywood theater. Lane resumed writing for Broadway in 1940. Besides Finian's Rainbow and On a Clear Day, he wrote music for several other shows, one of which, Carmelina (1979), was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Original Score. Though Lane had been prolific in Hollywood, his extreme care in choosing projects, and differences and difficulties with the lyricists with whom he worked, limited the number of his successes on Broadway. In later life Lane became a leader in his profession of songwriting. As a long-serving president of the American Guild of Authors and Composers and a director of ASCAP, he fought to preserve the ability of songwriters to earn royalties on their works.