1. Fran Landesman grew up in New York City and lived for years in St Louis, Missouri, where her husband Jay Landesman operated the Crystal Palace nightclub.
11 Facts About Fran Landesman
1. 2.
Fran Landesman was born Frances Deitsch in New York City in 1927, Her mother was a journalist and a father was a dress manufacturer.
3.
Fran Landesman wrote the lyrics for a proposed musical version of A Walk on the Wild Side, adapted from the 1956 novel by Nelson Algren, known for his portrayal of down-and-outers.
4.
Fran Landesman wrote lyrics for a number of well-known musicians such as Pat Smythe, Georgie Fame, Tom Springfield, Richard Rodney Bennett and Dudley Moore.
5.
Fran Landesman continued to collaborate with composers in the USA, most notably John Simon and Roy Kral.
6.
Fran Landesman wrote the lyrics for Joyce Adcock's musical Dearest Dracula, produced in 1965 at the Dublin Theatre Festival.
7.
Fran Landesman met British composer Simon Wallace in 1994, and collaborated with him for the rest of her life.
8.
From 1999 Fran Landesman worked closely with jazz singer Sarah Moule.
9.
Shaw had become a close friend of Fran Landesman after working with her son Miles and recorded single tracks with her lyrics on six albums in his back catalogue, but this album fulfilled a promise he made to her to devote an entire album to her songs.
10.
In 1996, Fran Landesman appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs and requested a supply of cannabis seeds as her luxury item.
11.
Fran Landesman published several volumes of poetry, and performed her work at festivals and on BBC Radio.