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Louis Alter 1902 - 1980

Louis Edwin Alter of New York, New York County, NY was born on June 18, 1902 at Massachusetts in Haverhill, Massachusetts, Massachusetts U.S.A., and died at age 78 years old on November 5, 1980 at New York City in New York, NY, Manhattan County, New York USA.

Louis Edwin Alter
Louis Alter, "Lou Alter" to friends.
Name
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New York, New York County, NY 10021
Last residence
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June 18, 1902
Massachusetts in Haverhill, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Birth
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November 5, 1980
New York City in New York, NY, Manhattan County, New York, USA
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Updated: March 18, 2025
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Louis Alter Louis Alter (1902 - 1980)
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Louis Edwin Alter's History: 1902 - 1980

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  • Introduction

    Films and Broadway In 1929, Alter moved to Hollywood, where he wrote songs for films, beginning with The Hollywood Review of 1929, and he continued to provide piano accompaniment for various singers, including Beatrice Lillie and Helen Morgan. His contributions to Broadway musicals included songs in Sweet and Low (1930) and Ballyhoo (1931). His first song hit was "Hugs and Kisses" in 1926. In 1928, Alter composed the music and wrote the lyrics of Paris (1928 musical). Other top tunes by Alter include "My Kinda Love," "You Turned the Tables on Me," "Nina Never Knew," "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" (for the 1947 film New Orleans), "Blue Shadows" and "Rainbow on the River." He wrote "A Melody from the Sky" and "Twilight on the Trail" for The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936). His collaborators included Oscar Hammerstein II, Charlotte Kent, Raymond Klages, Sidney D. Mitchell, and Jo Trent. World War II and later years As a piano soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he performed at the Hollywood Bowl. In 1942, "Manhattan Serenade" once again became a hit after Harold Adamson added lyrics. Alter also composed large-scale pieces for piano and orchestra, including American Serenade and Metropolitan Nocturne. In later years, Alter lived in New York and maintained a summer residence on Fire Island. Awards Twice nominated for Academy Awards ("Dolores," "A Melody from the Sky"), he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975. Death He died on November 5, 1980 at age 78, of pneumonia at Saint Clare's Hospital in Manhattan, New York City. Hurricane Katrina After Hurricane Katrina, his song "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" took on a different kind of meaning in 2005–06 and experienced a revival due to its use in various post-Katrina documentary films and TV shows. It was used for strong emotional effect in Spike Lee's four-hour When the Levees Broke (2006) and an equally moving dramatic sketch by Billy Crystal on HBO's Comic Relief 2006.
  • 06/18
    1902

    Birthday

    June 18, 1902
    Birthdate
    Massachusetts in Haverhill, Massachusetts, Massachusetts U.S.A.
    Birthplace
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  • Ethnicity & Family History

    Louis Edwin Alter + Buried with his family in a Jewish Cemetery. Photo added by Taphophile Picture of Added by Amanda S. Stevenson Picture of Added by Amanda S. Stevenson Louis Edwin Alter Birth 18 Jun 1902 Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA Death 3 Nov 1980 (aged 78) Burial Children of Israel Cemetery Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA Show Map Memorial ID 225093307 · View Source Memorial Photos 3 Flowers 1 Father: Simon Alter Mother: Bessie Reinelman Family Members Parents Simon Alter 1858–1920 Rebecca Reinelman Alter 1870–1935 Spouse Marla Shelton McKellop Gitterman 1912–2001 (m. 1945) You are remembered and loved. Thanks for being the younger brother of my grandpa Maurice Alter Left by JONATHAN ALTER on 23 Apr 2023

  • Religious Beliefs

    Louis Edward Alter - Jewish New England Conservatory of Music Louis Edward Alter Also Known As: "Lou" Birthdate: June 18, 1902 Birthplace: Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States Death: November 05, 1980 (78) New York, New York, United States Immediate Family: Son of Yeshaye "Simon" Alter and Rebecca Alter Husband of Jean Alter; Blanche Alter and Madeleine Talcott Alter Father of Private and Private Brother of Robert Alter; Bessie Douglas; Maurice Bernard Alter; Abraham H Alter and Sadie Dorothy Stearns

  • Military Service

    In 1941, Alter signed on with the United States Air Force, performing for troops and also coordinating shows and other entertainment at various West Coast air bases.

  • Professional Career

    Artist Biography b. 18 June 1902, Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA, d. 5 November 1980, New York, USA. A composer, pianist and arranger, Alter studied at the New England Conservatory of Music. In his early teens, he played piano in silent-movie houses, and in the 20s served as accompanist for the flamboyant entertainer Nora Bayes, as well as Beatrice Lillie and Helen Morgan, among others. Later in the decade, he contributed songs to several Broadway musicals and revues, including A La Carte (1927), Earl Carroll Vanities Of 1928, Americana Of 1928 (‘My Kinda Love’, lyric: Jo Trent), Sweet And Low (1930, ‘Overnight’, lyric: Billy Rose -Charlotte Kent), Ballyhoo (1931) and Hold Your Horses (1933). With the advent of talking pictures, Alter moved to Hollywood and wrote some scores and occasional numbers for movies such as Lord Byron Of Broadway (1929, ‘Nothin’ But The Blues’, lyric: Joe Goodwin), Hollywood Revue Of 1929 (‘Gotta Feelin’ For You’, Jo Trent), Take A Chance, (1933, ‘Come Up And See Me Sometime’, Arthur Swanstrom), Dizzy Dames (1935, ‘I Was Taken By Storm’, Edward Heyman), The Old Homestead (1935, ‘Moonlight In Heaven’, Jack Scholl), Sing, Baby, Sing (1936, ‘You Turned The Tables On Me’, Sidney D. Mitchell), Rainbow On The River (1936, ‘Rainbow On The River’, ‘You Only Live Once’, ‘A Thousand Dreams Of Love’, Paul Francis Webster), The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine (1936, ‘A Melody From The Sky’ [Oscar nomination], ‘Twilight On The Trail’, Mitchell), Make A Wish (1937, ‘Music In My Heart’, ‘My Campfire Dreams’, ‘Make A Wish’, Webster-Oscar Straus; ‘Old Man Rip’, Webster-Alter) and Vogues Of 1938 (‘Turn On The Red Heat (Burn The Blues Away)’, Webster; ‘King Of Jam’, Alter). During World War II Alter served as an Entertainments Officer for US Air Force bases, returning to compose the music for film songs such as ‘Dolores’ (Frank Loesser, Oscar nomination, Las Vegas Nights, 1941), ‘Love Me As I Am’ (Caught In The Draft, 1941), ‘If I Had A Wishing Ring’ (Breakfast In Hollywood, 1946) and ‘The Blues Are Brewin’’ and ‘Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?’ (Eddie De Lange, New Orleans, 1947). One of his last movie projects was Living In A Big Way (1947), in which Gene Kelly, accompanied by small dog, did a charming dance to Alter and Heyman’s ‘Fido And Me’. Among Alter’s other compositions were ‘Au Revoir But Not Goodbye’ (Raymond Klages), ‘I’ve Got Sand In My Shoes’ (1934), ‘Manhattan Serenade’ (1928, Harold Adamson, and revived by Harry James, Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey in 1942), ‘Circus’ (Bob Russell), and ‘Nina Never Knew’ (1952, Milton Drake), an attractive ballad that received an excellent reading from Vic Damone. Alter also wrote several instrumental pieces, including ‘Manhattan Masquerade’, ‘Manhattan Moonlight’, ‘American Serenade’ and ‘Side Street In Gotham’.

  • Personal Life & Family

    Throughout his career, Alter collaborated with several lyricists including Joe Goodwin, Jo Trent, Sidney Mitchell, Edward Heyman, Frank Loesser, Paul Francis Webster, Eddie Delange, Harold Adamson, Ray Klages, Bob Russell, Milton Drake, Oscar Hammerstein II, Lew Brown, and Stanley Adams. Highlights from Alter’s popular catalog include “The Sky Fell Down”, “Blue Shadows”, “My Kinda Love”, “Overnight”, “I’m One of God’s Children”, “I Was Taken by Storm”, “I’ve Got Sand in My Shoes”, “Rainbow on the River”,”, “Twilight on the Trail”, “A Melody from the Sky”, “You Turned the Tables on Me”, “Dolores”, “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?”, “Circus”, “Nina Never Knew” and “My Ecstasy”. Alter also wrote several instrumentals and full orchestral works including “Manhattan Moonlight”, “Manhattan Masquerade”, “Metropolitan Nocturne”, “Side Street in Gotham”, “American Serenade” and “Jewels from Cartier”.
  • 11/5
    1980

    Death

    November 5, 1980
    Death date
    Pneumonia
    Cause of death
    New York City in New York, NY, Manhattan County, New York USA
    Death location
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  • Obituary

    Louis Alter Born June 18, 1902 Haverhill, Massachusetts Died November 5, 1980 (aged 78) Saint Clare's Hospital New York City Cause of death Pneumonia Louis Alter (June 18, 1902 – November 5, 1980) was an American pianist, songwriter and composer. Alter was 13 when he began playing piano in theaters showing silent films. He studied at the New England Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Stuart Mason. Alter played in vaudeville houses as the accompanist for headliners Irène Bordoni and Nora Bayes. He appeared with Bayes from 1924 until her death in 1928, touring the United States and abroad.[1] Since he had previously written some songs for Broadway shows, Alter decided to concentrate on songwriting after Bayes' death. His first hit was "Manhattan Serenade" (1929), originally an instrumental that later became the theme music of the Easy Aces radio program. There are numerous recordings of "Manhattan Serenade," and it was featured prominently in Nancy Groce's book, New York: Songs of the City (Watson-Guptill, 1999). Alter recalled: I was a great fan of Whiteman when I first came down here from Boston. He was the first big name I actually followed around and met. I was having a love affair with New York when Whiteman commissioned me to write a tone poem. I walked around this city for six months absorbing the sights and sounds. And then suddenly it came to me. Once I plunged into it I finished it in two hours.[2] Films and Broadway In 1929, Alter moved to Hollywood, where he wrote songs for films, beginning with The Hollywood Review of 1929, and he continued to provide piano accompaniment for various singers, including Beatrice Lillie and Helen Morgan. His contributions to Broadway musicals included songs in Sweet and Low (1930) and Ballyhoo (1931). His first song hit was "Hugs and Kisses" in 1926. In 1928, Alter composed the music and wrote the lyrics of Paris (1928 musical). Other top tunes by Alter include "My Kinda Love," "You Turned the Tables on Me," "Nina Never Knew," "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" (for the 1947 film New Orleans), "Blue Shadows" and "Rainbow on the River." He wrote "A Melody from the Sky" and "Twilight on the Trail" for The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936). His collaborators included Oscar Hammerstein II, Charlotte Kent, Raymond Klages, Sidney D. Mitchell, and Jo Trent. World War II and later years In 1941, Alter signed on with the United States Air Force, performing for troops and also coordinating shows and other entertainment at various West Coast air bases. As a piano soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he performed at the Hollywood Bowl. In 1942, "Manhattan Serenade" once again became a hit after Harold Adamson added lyrics. Alter also composed large-scale pieces for piano and orchestra, including American Serenade and Metropolitan Nocturne. In later years. Louis Alter lived in New York on Park Avenue, and maintained a summer residence on Fire Island. Awards Twice nominated for Academy Awards ("Dolores," "A Melody from the Sky"), he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975. Death He died on November 5, 1980 at age 78, of pneumonia at Saint Clare's Hospital in Manhattan, New York City. Hurricane Katrina After Hurricane Katrina, his song "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" took on a different kind of meaning in 2005–06 and experienced a revival due to its use in various post-Katrina documentary films and TV shows. It was used for strong emotional effect in Spike Lee's four-hour "When the Levees Broke" (2006) and an equally moving dramatic sketch by Billy Crystal on HBO's Comic Relief 2006. Orchestral compositions American Serenade Jewels from Cartier Suite Manhattan Masquerade Manhattan Moonlight Metropolitan Nocturne Side Street in Gotham Songs "Blue Shadows" "Circus" (1949). Alter wrote the song with lyrics by Bob Russell for a party for John Ringling North, head of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.[3] "Dolores" "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" "Give Trouble the Air" (1927) "Hugs and Kisses" (1926) "Manhattan Serenade" "A Melody from the Sky" "My Kinda Love" "Nina Never Knew" "Rainbow on the River" "You Turned the Tables on Me"
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13 Memories, Stories & Photos about Louis

Louis Alter
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
06/09/2023
Louis Alter
An older Lou Alter.
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Louis Alter
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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06/09/2023
Louis Alter
The song was originally covered by Billie Holliday. After Katrina, it was covered by hundreds more.
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Louis Alter birthday tribute
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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07/24/2017
Louis Alter birthday tribute
A photo of a birthday tribute to Louis Alter, Composer.
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Louis Alter Album
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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07/24/2017
Louis Alter Album
A photo of the album of Louis Alter, Composer.
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Louis Alter
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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12/20/2019
Louis Alter
A photo of Eddie DeLange's partner, Louis Alter.
They wrote: Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans? In 1947. But it became a runaway hit in 2005!
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
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12/20/2019
I am the first one on AncientFaces who gave the first tributes here to Lou Alter, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday. I guess I should give a tribute to lyricist Eddie De Lange too.
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Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
12/20/2019
Lyric
Do you know what is means to miss New Orleans?
I miss it, each night and day
The longer I stay away
Miss the moist covered vines
The tall sugar pines
Where mocking birds use to sing
And I like to see the lazy Mississippi
Are hurrying to spring
The Mardi Gras memories
Of creole tunes that fill the air
I dream of oleanders in June
And soon I'm wishing that I was there
Do you know what is means to miss New Orleans?
And there is something more
I miss the one I care for
More than I miss New Orleans.

Songwriters: Eddie De Lange / Louis Alter
Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? lyrics © Music Sales Corporation
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Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
12/20/2019
I was sitting in a beautiful apartment in Manhattan and a sixty-four old man turned to me (at 23) and said, "Kid! Become a lyricist." And I turned to him and said, "There is nothing that I want to be MORE than a lyricist!" And he said, "I wrote some songs and that's why I am living on Park Avenue. But the people today, just don't GET my music!"
In 1947 he wrote a song and it was introduced by Billie Holiday. 58 years later (and 40 years after he talked to me) it was a major hit because Hurricane Katrina had devastated New Orleans and everybody "Got" his music ion 2005!
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS?"
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Louis Alter, Manhattan Serenade
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
07/25/2017
Louis Alter, Manhattan Serenade
A photo of Louis Alter's composition, Manhattan Serenade. Over 10 different people created arrangements of Manhattan Serenade.
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Louis Alter, Album, Sheet Music
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
07/25/2017
Louis Alter, Album, Sheet Music
A photo of a Louis Alter piece of sheet music. Louis Alter wrote hits for singers like Teresa Brewer
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Louis Alter's Family Tree & Friends

Louis Alter's Family Tree

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Louis Alter Jun 18, 1902 - Nov 5, 1980
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Eddie DeLange
Eddie DeLange Jan 15, 1904 - Jul 15, 1949
Eddie DeLange was born on January 15, 1904, and died at age 45 years old on July 15, 1949. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Eddie DeLange.
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Other Biographies

Other Louis Alter Biographies

Alter, Louis (Nov 22, 1894 - Nov 1973) Alter, Louis (May 1, 1911 - Jun 1983) Alter, Louis (Aug 15, 1920 - Apr 1987) Alter, Louis (Apr 19, 1919 - Jun 2, 2011) Alter, Louis (Jan 27, 1902 - Oct 1971) Alter, Louis (Sep 28, 1879 - Nov 1962)
Alter, Louis (Jul 18, 1898 - Jan 1978) Alter, Louis (Nov 15, 1896 - Jun 1, 1963) Alter, Louis (Dec 25, 1890 - Jan 1983) Alter, Louis (Oct 10, 1902 - Nov 1971) Alter, Louis (Dec 4, 1894 - Oct 1963) Alter, Louis (Aug 27, 1919 - Dec 23, 1993)

Other Alter Family Biographies

Alter, Louis (Aug 27, 1919 - Dec 23, 1993) Alter, Harry (Nov 10, 1917 - Nov 14, 2006) Alter, Zillah (Sep 10, 1886 - Nov 1976) Alter, Ida (Jul 4, 1893 - Aug 4, 1992) Alter, Ruth (Jul 30, 1915 - Dec 15, 2006) Alter, Levi (Dec 25, 1893 - Dec 1966) Alter, Mary (Dec 30, 1908 - Jun 13, 2005) Alter, Louis (Dec 4, 1894 - Oct 1963) Alter, Morris (Died May 1960) Alter, Chester (Mar 21, 1906 - Mar 6, 2006)
Alter, Marcia (Feb 2, 1922 - Oct 1, 1989) Alter, Jacob (Nov 4, 1912 - Feb 1, 2000) Alter, Frances (Aug 8, 1918 - Jun 1995) Alter, Sylvia (Aug 22, 1917 - Jun 27, 1999) Alter, Jason (Sep 3, 1931 - Aug 25, 2009) Alter, Bessie (Apr 14, 1904 - Feb 1987) Alter, Joseph (Jan 26, 1918 - Apr 17, 2004) Alter, Melvin (Sep 2, 1926 - Aug 30, 2008) Alter, Judith (Apr 20, 1933 - Jun 9, 2010) Alter, Manuel (Apr 8, 1915 - Jan 6, 1993)
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