Tom Lehrer

About Tom Lehrer

Satirist and mathematician best known for his funny 1950s and 1960s recordings, particularly The Elements from 1959.

Thomas Andrew Lehrer is a retired American musician, singer-songwriter, satirist, and mathematician, having lectured on mathematics and musical theater. He is best known for the pithy and humorous songs that he recorded in the 1950s and 1960s. His songs often parodied popular musical forms, though he usually created original melodies when doing so. A notable exception is "The Elements", in which he set the names of the chemical elements to the tune of the "Major-General's Song" from Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. Lehrer's early musical work typically dealt with non-topical subject matter and was noted for its black humor in songs such as "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park". In the 1960s, he produced a number of songs that dealt with social and political issues of the day, particularly when he wrote for the U.S. version of the television show That Was the Week That Was. The popularity of these songs has far outlasted their topical subjects and references.

Birth name	Thomas Andrew Lehrer
Genres	Satire, comedy, science
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Born	April 09, 1928, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, satirist, mathematician
Associated acts	Joe Raposo
Years active	1945–1971, 1980, 1998
Labels	TransRadio, Lehrer, Reprise/Warner Bros, Rhino/Atlantic, Shout! Factory

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Trivia

His primary musical influence was musical theatre, especially Let's Face It by Cole Porter and Sylvia Fine.

Tom Lehrer before fame

At Camp Androscoggin, he was both a camper and a counselor. He attended Harvard College and majored in mathematics. From 1955 until 1957, he worked for the National Security Agency.

Achievement of Tom Lehrer

Musical theatre, particularly Cole Porter's Let's Face It and Sylvia Fine's Let's Face It, were his significant musical influences.

Salary 2020

Not known

Net Worth 2020

Undisclosed

Tom Lehrer family life

His father worked as a necktie maker. His family raised him Jewish, but he declared himself to be an agnostic atheist later on.

Associations of Tom Lehrer

His early acclaim came from novelist Isaac Asimov, who saw him perform in a Boston nightclub in 1954.

Tom Lehrer Height, Weight & Physique Measurements

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