Cy Coleman
A Tin Pan Alley tunesmith who bridged jazz clubs and Broadway theaters, crafting sophisticated, swinging standards that never lost their cool.
1929–2004 (age 75)·American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist·Birthday: June 14·The Silent Generation
Biography
Cy Coleman, born Seymour Kaufman, was a child piano prodigy who played Carnegie Hall by age six, but his future lay not in the concert hall but in the bustling worlds of jazz and commercial songwriting. He began his career as a sought-after jazz pianist in New York clubs, an experience that infused all his later work with rhythmic sophistication and harmonic wit. Partnering with lyricist Carolyn Leigh, he produced a string of indelible pop hits like 'Witchcraft' and 'The Best Is Yet to Come.' He then conquered Broadway, collaborating with Dorothy Fields on the brassy 'Sweet Charity' and later with others on the ambitious 'City of Angels.' Coleman's music always swung, whether in a intimate trio or a full orchestra pit, making him one of the few composers who moved seamlessly between the spontaneity of jazz and the structured demands of the musical stage.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Cy was born in 1929, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1929
#1 Movie
The Broadway Melody
Best Picture
The Broadway Melody
Cy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1929Born
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1934Started school
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1942Became a teenager
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1945Could drive
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1947Could vote
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1950Turned 21
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1959Turned 30
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 40
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 50
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 60
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 70
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2004Died at 75
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
Key Achievements
- Won three Tony Awards for Best Original Score for 'City of Angels,' 'The Will Rogers Follies,' and 'On the Twentieth Century.'
- Composed the music for the Broadway smash 'Sweet Charity,' which produced standards like 'Big Spender' and 'If My Friends Could See Me Now.'
- Wrote the Frank Sinatra signature hit 'Witchcraft,' which earned a Grammy Award in 1959.
- Received the Grammy Legend Award in 1994 for his enduring contributions to music.
Did You Know?
Before his music career, he studied at the New York College of Music and the New York School of Music.
He wrote special material for performers like Shirley MacLaine and Barbra Streisand early in his career.
His first Broadway score was for the 1960 show 'Wildcat,' which introduced the song 'Hey, Look Me Over.'
He founded his own music publishing company, Notable Music Co., in the 1960s.
“The best is yet to come, and won't that be fine?”
