Tom Lehrer

Tom Lehrer – born April 9, 1928, in New York City – was a musician, satirist, and singer-songwriter best known for tracks like “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park” and a series of humorous original political songs and parodies. Interested in music at a young age, he learned to play the piano while also attending school, where he studied to be a mathematician. While attending Harvard College, he began writing comedy songs to entertain his friends and classmates. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics, he would eventually begin teaching mathematics at MIT, Harvard, and Wellesley College. He also began performing his Broadway-inspired satirical songs in nightclubs. He released his debut album, Songs by Tom Lehrer, on his own Lehrer Records in 1953. The album sold well locally but began to sell across the country via mail order. Eventually drafted into the US Army in 1955, he served as an enlisted soldier, which inspired more of his future songs. After he was discharged, he returned to teaching mathematics while also performing live across the US. He also toured internationally and signed deals to distribute his 1953 album around the world. He released his second album, More of Tom Lehrer, in 1959, which was followed that same year by the live release An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer. While he still toured Australia and New Zealand in 1960, Tom Lehrer retired from touring in the US, the same year he released his best known song, “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park.” He began writing songs for the American version of the British satirical show That Was the Week That Was and released a collection of his songs on Reprise Records in 1965. The following year, Reprise asked him to re-record a stereo version of his 1953 debut album, which was released under the same title – Songs by Tom Lehrer – in 1966. After more touring overseas in Europe, he retired from the music business and returned to teaching. His music became popular in the 1970s and 1980s thanks to The Dr. Demento Show, which was a popular syndicated radio program dedicated to novelty music. Although he made only a handful of appearances after his retirement, Tom Lehrer’s music continued to entertain new generations of fans. Tom Lehrer died on July 26, 2025, at the age of 97.

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