Arthur Siegel Papers

1938-1994

Arthur Siegel (born Lakewood, NJ, Dec. 31, 1923; d. New York City, Sept. 13, 1994) was a pianist, composer, lyricist and vocalist. He grew up in Asbury Park, NJ, and began to act in high school theater productions as well as write songs. After high school he studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and music at the Juilliard School. Eddie Cantor’s daughter, Marilyn, was a classmate of Siegel’s at the Academy, and through that connection Siegel got a job as Cantor’s accompanist, launching his career.

Siegel’s first Broadway show was Lovely Me (1946-47), on which he worked with lyricist Jeff Bailey. He also began working with the producer Leonard Sillman, producer of the New Faces series of Broadway revues. Siegel achieved lasting fame for his contributions to New Faces Of 1952, which featured the debuts of Eartha Kitt, Paul Lynde and Alice Ghostley. Beginning a long working relationship with the lyricist June Carroll, Siegel wrote some of his most well-known songs for the show, including Love Is A Simple Thing, Monotonous (a feature for Eartha Kitt) and He Takes Me Off His Income Tax. He also composed for Sillman’s 1956, 1962 and 1968 editions of New Faces, though none were as successful as the 1952 version. Siegel worked on several shows with June Carroll and other lyricists, some of which were never produced, such as a version of the S.N. Behrman play Serena Blandish. He also worked on many musicals and revues that were produced off Broadway in the 1970s and 1980s. These included A Quarter For The Ladies Room (1972), Corkscrews (1982), Tallulah (1983), Offbeats (1985), A Split Decision (1986) and The Last Musical Comedy (1988). Siegel worked several times with the producer Ben Bagley, recording for his Revisited album series of obscure Broadway songs, and contributing to Bagley’s shows Seven Come Eleven and Shoestring Revue.

Siegel performed as well as composed. He was the pianist for Stanley Holloway’s one-man show, Laughs And Other Events (1960), and for over 30 years he accompanied the singer/comedienne Kaye Ballard. Other vocalists he worked with included Sandy Stewart, Gypsy Rose Lee, Imogene Coca and Hermione Gingold, contributing songs and sketch material in addition to accompaniment. In the late 1970s Siegel began performing solo, singing a huge repertoire of standards and lesser-known Broadway songs as well as his own material, and he was popular on New York’s cabaret circuit. He continued to perform until shortly before his death from heart failure at the age of 70.