He was a pianist, composer and songwriter born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, who studied piano as a child and by the time he was 13 he was accompanying silent films in theatres.
He entered the New England Conservatory and after graduating he toured in vaudeville as an accompanist. After the death of one of the ladies he accompanied he decided to concentrate on writing Broadway songs, something he started doing previously to a lesser degree.
In 1929 he saw his first success with “Manhattan Serenade” which would later become the Easy Aces radio theme. The pull of Hollywood came in 1929 and his first work there was for The Hollywood Review of 1929. He would become a prolific composer for the movies and also accompany singers on the piano, leading to two Academy Award nominations.
He became highly acclaimed and was known for hits that include songs for The Trail of the Lonesome Pine as well as “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans”, “My Kinda Love” and “You Turned the Tables on Me”. In 1975 he was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
Aside from his work in the movies he was also a composer of larger scale works for piano and orchestra.
He is the father of the actress Alison Alter.
Joe Utterback recordings
Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans
Connoisseur CD 4215
Piano – Joe Utterback
Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Alter
- http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibit_bio.asp?exhibitId=207
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0022746/
- http://www.allmusic.com/artist/louis-alter-mn0000826855