Vee Lawnhurst(1905-1992)

Vee Lawnhurst was a virtuoso pop pianist, a radio pioneer, and made records and numerous piano rolls before she tried her hand at writing popular songs. Although she may have been unaware of it, she shared her birthday with the "King of Ragtime," Scott Joplin (1868-1917). She often performed brilliant duets with other pianists, notably Constance Mering and Muriel Pollack. Despite her claims of timidity, she also sang nicely on records and radio. After the death of her lyric-writing partner, Roy Turk, she formed a team with Tot Seymour, and their publisher (Famous Music) advertised them as "the first successful team of girl song writers in popular music history." 1935 was Seymour & Lawnhurst's best year. They had numerous songs that 'made' Your Hit Parade which began broadcasting in the spring of 1935. "And Then Some" made it to #1 and remained on the program for 11 weeks, "Cross Patch" (6 weeks), "Accent On Youth" (4 weeks), and "No Other One" stayed on for 11 weeks. As a "rhythm" pianist, Lawnhurst had a style marked by its harmonic and rhythmic invention, fluidity and delicacy. Publishers said that she was such a superb demonstrator of her songs, everything she played sounded utterly rhapsodic --- even when the songs were not up to past standards! She gradually stopped performing in public, preferring to write music, and eventually vanished from the public eye, enjoying her retirement in her Manhattan apartment with her Mason & Hamlin piano and happy memories. Her favorite song was Johnny Mercer and David Raksin's "Laura."