Lou Singer

'''Charles Louis Singer''' (26 February 1912 – December 1966), also known as '''Louis C. Singer''' and '''Lou Singer''', was an American songwriter, composer, and arranger. He was known for his work with lyricist Hy Zaret, including the songs "One Meat Ball" and "It Could Be a Wonderful World", and for later music written for television animation.<ref name="NYT1966">{{cite news |title=Louis C. Singer, Arranger, Author of 'One Meat Ball,' Dies |work=The New York Times |date=31 December 1966 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/12/31/archives/louis-c-singer-arranger-author-of-one-meat-ball.html}}</ref><ref name="ArgosyBio">{{cite web |title=Lou Singer Biography |website=Argosy Music Corporation |url=https://www.argosymusiccorp.com/LouSinger/LouSinger.html |access-date=2026-04-19}}</ref>

== Early life == Singer was born in the Bronx, New York City, on 26 February 1912. He studied music at the Juilliard School, and also attended Columbia University and New York University. He was married to Rosalie Robin, and they had two daughters.<ref name="NYT1966" /><ref name="ArgosyBio" />

== Career == In the 1940s Singer worked in radio and popular music as a composer and arranger. With Hy Zaret he wrote "One Meat Ball", first published in 1944, and also wrote educational songs for the ''Little Songs'' series commissioned by WNEW. That series included "It Could Be a Wonderful World", which was later recorded by Pete Seeger.<ref name="OneMeatBall">{{cite web |title=One Meat Ball |website=DigitalCommons@UMaine |url=https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp-copyright/4489/ |access-date=2026-04-19}}</ref><ref name="LittleSongs">{{cite web |title=History of Little Songs |website=Argosy Music Corporation |url=https://argosymusiccorp.com/LittleSongs/LittleSongs2.html |access-date=2026-04-19}}</ref><ref name="WonderfulWorld">{{cite web |title=It Could Be a Wonderful World |website=Rise Up Singing |url=https://www.riseupsinging.org/songs/it-could-be-wonderful-world |access-date=2026-04-19}}</ref>

He also wrote or co-wrote songs that were recorded by other performers, including "I Will Be Home Again" and "Am I a Toy or a Treasure".<ref name="SHSArtist">{{cite web |title=Artist: Louis C. Singer |website=SecondHandSongs |url=https://secondhandsongs.com/artist/3699/all |access-date=2026-04-19}}</ref><ref name="KayStarr">{{cite web |title=Kay Starr - The Ultimate Collection |website=Discogs |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/20602105-Kay-Starr-The-Ultimate-Collection |access-date=2026-04-19}}</ref>

With Paul Glass he also prepared a number of folk-song collections for Grosset & Dunlap, including ''Singing Soldiers: A History of the Civil War in Song'' and ''Songs of Hill and Mountain Folk''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Singing soldiers : (The spirit of the sixties) : a history of the Civil War in song |website=WorldCat |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/946254771 |access-date=2026-04-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Songs of hill and mountain folk : ballads, historical songs, folk songs, arranged for voice and piano with guitar chords |website=Colorado College Library Catalog |url=https://catalog.coloradocollege.edu/cgi-bin/koha/opac-MARCdetail.pl?biblionumber=462240 |access-date=2026-04-19}}</ref>

In his later career, Singer composed music for television, including work on ''Gigantor'' and ''The Big World of Little Adam'', both produced by his brother Al Singer.<ref name="ArgosyBio" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Gigantor! |website=SecondHandSongs |url=https://secondhandsongs.com/work/155045/all |access-date=2026-04-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Television's Greatest Hits, Volume 4: Black & White Classics |website=MusicBrainz |url=https://musicbrainz.org/release/7aca44d5-db30-488e-8eb8-ad8c75b49c9b |access-date=2026-04-19}}</ref>

== Death == Singer died at his home in Forest Hills, Queens, in late December 1966, aged 53.<ref name="NYT1966" />

== References == {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singer, Lou}} Category:1966 deaths Category:1912 births Category:Composers from New York City Category:American male songwriters