He was a mathematician, educated at Harvard, who got his musical breakthrough during the 50s and 60s. Lehrer began to perform with satirical songs about, among other things, racism, militarism, nuclear weapons, sex and American domestic politics.
In 1953, he released the album "Songs of Tom Lehrer", whose cover shows him playing piano in hell, dressed as the devil. It sold over half a million copies and made his piano concerts in demand worldwide.
American newspapers such as LA Times and New York Post write that Lehrer's satire paved the way for comedians like Randy Newman and "Weird Al" Yankovic, and has inspired elements in the comedy classic "Saturday Night Live".
In 2020, Lehrer announced that all the texts he had written could be used freely, without cost.
