Judy Kuhn to Celebrate Laura Nyro at 92NY

Laura Nyro. Theater, pop, jazz and country legends sing her praises. Barbra Streisand, Blood, Sweat and Tears, The Fifth Dimension and Three Dog Night had hit records with – respectively - “Stoney End,” “And When I Die,” “Wedding Bell Blues” and “Eli's Coming,” sophisticated songs written when she was still in her teens and early 20s. “Passionate, romantic, ethereal, eternal” is how Bette Midler described Nyro's songs upon her posthumous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four-time Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn earned an Obie Award for her role in Diane Paulus' Eli's Comin',  recorded an album of Nyro's music, and now digs deeper into the work of this legendary songwriter for a new Lyrics & Lyricists show, Soul Picnic: The Songs and Legacy of Laura Nyro. Shows are in person on March 2, 3 and 4 with tickets available here.

“Laura Nyro was perhaps the most important singer/songwriter of the mid-20th century that many people (especially young people) have never heard of, and here I am again trying to figure out what made her so extraordinary, so elusive, so influential while so few people know who she is!” comments Judy Kuhn. “She changed the landscape of pop music in the 60s particularly for women. She pioneered the poetic, confessional, very female style of songwriting that kicked the door open for her contemporaries such as Joni Mitchell and Carole King, then led the way for generations of songwriters who followed such as Rickie Lee Jones, Phoebe Snow, Tori Amos, and many others, all of whom cite her as a profound influence. She grew up listening to classical, jazz, and standards, sang on Bronx street corners, absorbed everything and her music encompasses all of that. As an American writer whose work stands the test of time, she has an undisputed place in the American Songbook.”

Additional credits

Stephanie Alvarado Prugh, Producer
Matt Kunkel, Producer
Dan Lipton, arrangements, piano and music direction
Barry Danielian, trumpet
Aaron Heick, reeds
Meg Toohey, guitar
Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf, cello
George Farmer, bass

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