John La Touche

Who was John La Touche?

John Treville Latouche was a musician and writer.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Latouche's family moved to Richmond, Virginia when he was four months old. Much of his work included Rabelaisian humor and was therefore often censored or protested against. He attended Columbia University but never graduated.

In 1937 he had two songs in the revue Pins and Needles. In 1939 for the show Sing For Your Supper he wrote the lyrics for "Ballad for Uncle Sam", later retitled "Ballad for Americans", with music by Earl Robinson. It was featured at both the 1940 Republican Convention and the convention of the American Communist Party, and was extremely popular in 1940s America. This 13-minute cantata to American democracy was written for a soloist and as well a full orchestra. When performed on the CBS Radio network by singer Paul Robeson, it became a national success. Subsequently, both Robeson and Bing Crosby regularly performed it. Actor and singer Brock Peters also made a notable recording of the cantata.

He provided the lyrics for Vernon Duke's songs for the musical Cabin in the Sky and also for Duke's musical Banjo Eyes which starred Eddie Cantor. He appeared as The Gangster in the experimental film Dreams That Money Can Buy, and wrote the lyrics for the song "The Girl With the Pre-Fabricated Heart" which accompanies the sequence conceived by Fernand Léger.