Robert Sour

Lyricist Robert Sour's fame rests almost solely on one song, but what a song: the perennial "Body and Soul." He wrote the classic ballad with fellow lyricists Edward Heyman and Frank Eyton in tandem with composer Johnny Green. Originally authored for Gertrude Lawrence, who popularized the tune while touring in Britain, "Body and Soul" was then added to the 1930 Broadway smash Three's a Crowd, where it was among the featured songs of star Libby Holman. Although tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins' 1939 reading remains one of the pivotal jazz recordings of the 20th century, "Body and Soul" has been performed by artists of all musical backgrounds and remains a standard to this day.