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<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br>Perhaps best remembered as the writer and composer of the ever-popular Guys and Dolls and the Pulitzer Prize-winning How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Frank Loesser was one of the great songwriters of the twentieth century. Lyricist of over 700 songs-among them such cherished favorites as "Baby, It's Cold Outside," "Once in Love with Amy," and "I Believe in You"-his work has received both Tony and Academy Awards. Here Thomas L. Riis, in a deeply informed and lively discussion of Loesser's life and musical career, presents a critical look at one of the most important-though often overshadowed-Broadway composers. Immensely prolific and a personally magnetic man, Loesser was a major figure during the Broadway golden age that included Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, and Bernstein. Riis traces Loesser's early career as a Hollywood songwriter and a noted contributor to the war effort. He discusses in depth each of Loesser's musicals and provides a look at the legacy of a man admired as a mentor who inspired dozens of assistants, protégés, young songwriters, novice singer-actors, and aspiring producers. This book offers a concise look at Loesser's life along with an engaging examination of the totality of his works.<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br><p>Thomas L. Riis is the Joseph Negler Professor of Music and director of the American Music Research Center, University of Colorado at Boulder. He is a specialist in musical theater, and he lectures and writes frequently on many topics in nineteenth- and twentieth-century African American music. </p>

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