21 Facts About Dory Previn

Dorothy Veronica "Dory" Previn was an American lyricist, singer-songwriter and poet.

Dory Previn was born in either Rahway or Woodbridge, New Jersey, and grew up in Woodbridge, the eldest daughter in a strict Catholic family of Irish origin.

Dory Previn had a troubled relationship with her father, especially during childhood.

Dory Previn had served in the First World War and been gassed, and experienced periods of depression and violent mood swings.

Dory Previn tended to alternately embrace and reject her, but supported her when she began to show talent for singing and dancing.

Dory Previn toured as a chorus-line dancer and singer and started to write songs.

In 1968, Andre Dory Previn had fully moved from composing film scores to conducting symphony orchestras, most notably the London Symphony Orchestra.

In 1969, Dory Previn discovered that Farrow had become pregnant by her husband, which led to their separation.

The betrayal led to Dory Previn's being hospitalized again, where she was treated with electroconvulsive therapy.

Dory Previn expressed her feelings about Farrow and the end of her marriage in the song "Beware of Young Girls" on her 1970 album On My Way to Where.

In 1970, Dory Previn signed as a solo artist with the Mediarts company founded by Alan Livingston and Nik Venet, and recorded her first album for 12 years, On My Way to Where.

Dory Previn teamed up with producer Zev Buffman to stage it on Broadway, but the previews were poor and the show was canceled before it opened.

Dory Previn's albums maintained a balance of intensely personal lyrics and wider commentary.

Dory Previn gave some public performances that year, including a concert in New York on April 18,1973, that was recorded and released as a double LP, Live at Carnegie Hall, which featured in a book of the 200 best rock albums.

Dory Previn continued to collaborate on music for film and TV.

Dory Previn performed in London in 1986, and wrote a stage work, The Flight of the Gooney Bird.

Dory Previn last appeared in concert in 1988, in Dublin and at the Donmar Warehouse in London.

Dory Previn lectured on lyric writing, recording, and writing autobiographies at various American universities.

In 2002, Dory Previn released a royalty-free recording available online, Planet Blue.

Dory Previn continued to work, despite having suffered several strokes that affected her eyesight.

Dory Previn died, aged 86, on February 14,2012, at her farm in Southfield, Massachusetts, where she lived with her husband, Joby Baker.