Luther Henderson was an American arranger, composer, orchestrator, and pianist best known for his contributions to Broadway musicals.
10 Facts About Luther Henderson
2.
Notably, Luther Henderson maintained a lengthy pre-professional relationship with Ellington, having been neighbors with the Ellington family as a child and schoolmate with his son, Mercer.
3.
Luther Henderson went on to serve as orchestrator, arranger, and musical director on more than fifty Broadway musicals, including Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, Flower Drum Song, Funny Girl, No, No Nanette, Purlie, Ain't Misbehavin' and Jelly's Last Jam.
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Luther Henderson additionally made his Broadway songwriting debut with Jelly's Last Jam, receiving a 1992 Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score, alongside lyricist Susan Birkenhead.
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Luther Henderson was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on the television presentation of Ain't Misbehavin.
6.
Luther Henderson served as musical director for actress Polly Bergen and Victor Borge; and arranged music for many popular singers, including Robert Goulet, Nancy Wilson, Ben Vereen, Sandler and Young, Leslie Uggams, Eartha Kitt, Diahann Carroll, Dinah Shore, Eileen Farrell, Juliet Prowse, and Liza Minnelli.
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Luther Henderson performed as "The Professor" on the children's television show Joya's Fun School.
8.
Luther Henderson received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations for his work on Jelly's Last Jam.
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Luther Henderson received a posthumous Jazz Masters Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2004.
10.
Luther Henderson was survived by his wife, actress Billie Allen, three children including The Electric Company actress Melanie Henderson, Denson B Henderson, and Dr Luther L Henderson III, professor of music and humanities at Los Angeles City College, two step-children, two grandchildren, one step-grandchild, and one great-grandchild.