Fred Ebb: Start Spreadin' the News From Green-Wood
- Marina Aris
- May 13
- 3 min read
A note from our founder
Our nineteenth tribute goes to a lyricist who spent years bouncing between odd jobs before finding the partner who would define the rest of his career. Fred Ebb helped reshape what a Broadway musical could be — and today, fittingly, he rests in Brooklyn under a line from one of his own most famous songs.
From Odd Jobs to Broadway
Fred Ebb was born into a Jewish family in Manhattan on April 8, 1928. Before breaking into entertainment, he worked a string of odd jobs, including stints at a hosiery factory and a baby shoe company, all while chasing a foothold in the industry. He earned his bachelor's degree from New York University and a master's in English literature from Columbia University.
Kander and Ebb
In 1962, music publisher Tommy Valando introduced Ebb to composer John Kander, and the partnership of Kander and Ebb was born — one of the most successful and longest-running songwriting duos in Broadway history. Together, they brought a dark, cynical, highly stylized edge to the traditional musical. Their breakthrough came with Cabaret in 1966, which used a seedy Berlin nightclub as a chilling metaphor for the rise of Nazi Germany, followed by Chicago in 1975, a razor-sharp satire of media spectacle, corruption, and murder.
New York, New York and Beyond
Ebb's reach extended well past Broadway. In 1977, he and Kander wrote the theme song for Martin Scorsese's film New York, New York; Liza Minnelli sang it first, but it was Frank Sinatra who turned it into a global anthem. Over his career, Ebb won four Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Emmy Award, and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Start Spreadin' the News
Ebb died of a heart attack at his Manhattan home on September 11, 2004, at the age of 76. He is buried in a mausoleum in Brooklyn's historic Green-Wood Cemetery, where his tomb carries the inscription of one of his own most famous lyrics: "Start spreadin' the news."
Major Musicals & Works (Lyrics by Fred Ebb)
Classic Broadway Scores
Flora the Red Menace (1965) — The first official Kander and Ebb collaboration on Broadway, which famously catapulted a 19-year-old Liza Minnelli to stardom.
Cabaret (1966) — Their masterpiece debut, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Score. It juxtaposes the crumbling Weimar Republic against the provocative musical numbers of the Kit Kat Klub.
Chicago (1975) — A vaudeville-style satire charting jazz-age criminals Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, which later became the longest-running American musical revival in Broadway history.
The Rink (1984) — A touching, gritty musical starring Chita Rivera and Liza Minnelli as a mother and daughter clashing over the destruction of a decaying family roller rink.
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993) — Based on the Manuel Puig novel, this Tony-winning musical explores fantasy, torture, and survival between two cellmates in a Latin American prison.
Iconic Songs
"New York, New York" — The legendary title track for the 1977 film, which became the definitive musical anthem for New York City.
"All That Jazz" & "Cell Block Tango" — Defining, show-stopping numbers from Chicago that showcase his rhythm, irony, and cynical wit.
READ EBB
Start with Cabaret or Chicago to hear Ebb's voice at its sharpest, or put on "New York, New York" for the song that outlived nearly everything else he wrote. Either way, a visit to Green-Wood Cemetery brings you about as close to the man as his lyrics ever let anyone get. Get the CD.
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