American Music

Legends of American Music

On 21 September 1999 the U.S. Post concluded the long running Legends of American Music series with the issue of six stamps.
The series began with the issue of the 29c Elvis Presley stamp in 1993. In the following 92 issues many important musicians, composers and singers were portrayed.

Designed by Drew Struzan

The last issues commemorates Ira & George Gershwin, Lerner & Loewe, Lorenz Hart, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Meredith Willson and Frank Loesser. The stamps were designed by Drew Struzan and have a face value of 33c.

Lorenz Hart

Lorenz (Larry) Hart (1895-1943) was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. His most memorable lyrics include, "Blue Moon" and "My Funny Valentine".
Lorenz Hart was born in Harlem, New York in May 1895 to Jewish immigrant parents. Hart attended Columbia University, where a mutual friend introduced him to composer Richard Rodgers in 1919. The smashing success of their score for the 1925 Theatre Guild production, "The Garrick Gaieties", brought them great acclaim. They continued working together until Lorenz Hart's death in 1943.
Lorenz Hart is buried in Mount Zion Cemetery in Queens County, New York.

Drew Struzan

Drew Struzan is the best-kept secret in Hollywood. Over the last thirty years, he's created many of Hollywood's most memorable posters. His art touched generations of filmgoers with unforgettable images for The Star Wars Trilogy, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Phantom Menace, Bladerunner, First Blood, The Thing, Back to the Future I - III, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, and hundreds more.
Finally, these posters, in addition to paintings from Drew's private collection, several limited edition works, book and album covers and more have been collected into one stunning full color volume, Drew Struzan: Oeuvre.
Authors Jessie and Amy Horsting examine the unique forces shaping Struzan's career, his rise as an illustrator, and the perseverance required to succeed and thrive in a notoriously fickle industry. Featuring a foreword by George Lucas, the book also focuses on the history of some ground-breaking posters, relates a few celebrity encounters, and offers commentary from Harrison Ford, Frank Darabont, Alice Cooper, Robert Zemekis, Jim Henson, and many others who have had close encounters with this giant talent.

Drew Struzan: Oeuvre

Publisher: Dreamwave
ISBN: 0973278676

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