Laura (Nigro) Bianchini (1947 - 1997)

Born 18 Oct 1947 in Bronx, Bronx County, New York, USA

Ancestors

Died 8 Apr 1997 at age 49 in Danbury, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA

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Biography

Laura (Nigro) Bianchini is Notable.

Laura Nyro was born as Laura Nigro on 18 Oct 1947 in Bronx, Bronx County, New York, USA ^[1] and her secular parents were Gilda (Mirsky), a bookkeeper, and Louis Nigro, a piano tuner and jazz trumpeter. She was of Russian Jewish and Polish Jewish descent, with Italian ancestry from her paternal grandfather. ^[2]

She became interested in music at 5 years old, saying that music provided, for her, a means of coping with a difficult childhood: "I was never a bright and happy child". ^[3]

She composed her first songs at age 8.

With her family, she spent summers in the Catskills, where her father played trumpet at resorts. She attended Manhattan's High School of Music & Art. ^[4]

She grew up with Alan Merrill, and they thought of each other as cousins, since her uncle married Alan's aunt. ^[5]

As a teenager, Laura went by various surnames. She just happened to be using "Nyro" at the time she was discovered, and it stuck. ^[3]

Her father's work brought him into contact with record company executive Artie Mogull and his partner Paul Barry, who auditioned Laura in 1966 and became her first managers. However, her father later said he did "not even once" mention Laura to any of his clients, adding "they would have laughed at me if I did". ^[3]

She was close to her aunt and uncle, artists Theresa Bernstein and William Meyerowitz, who helped support her education and early career ^[3] They also aided another niece, Barbara Marilyn Meyerowitz who was a musical prodigy. ^[6]

She was an American songwriter, singer and pianist, who achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings. She was most noted for her many innovative pop music compositions from 1966 to the 1990s.

In 1967 she made her second of only two major live appearances, at the Monterey Pop Festival.

Soon afterwards, David Geffen took over as her agent. He arranged a new recording contract for her with Clive Davis at Columbia Records, which allowed her more artistic freedom and control.

Between 1968 and 1970, she had commercial success with a number of artists who had hits recording her songs, including "Peter, Paul and Mary", "The 5th Dimension", "Blood, Sweat & Tears", "Three Dog Night". Other artists included Bette Midler, Barbara Streisand, Jackson Brown and many others.

in November 1969, she gave two concerts at Carnegie Hall. Her own recordings sold mostly to a faithful cadre of followers.

About 1970 singer/songwriter Jackson Browne was Laura's opening act and they had a relationship.

Laura married in October 1971 to Vietnam War veteran and carpenter, David Bianchini. ^{[4] [7]} By 1976, the marriage had ended.

In 1978, a short-lived relationship with Harindra Singh produced her only child, whom she gave the surname of her Bianchini ex-husband.

A working musician, she spent much of her time during her twenties, thirties and forties on the road, singing in clubs and concert halls throughout America and abroad,

On 04 July 1991, she opened for Bob Dylan at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, USA. Her last performances were during 1994 to 1995.

She turned down lucrative film-composing offers, as well as appearances on late night TV shows such as "The Tonight Show, "The Late Show with David Letterman" and a request to be the musical guest on the 1993 season opener of "Saturday Night Live".

She died of ovarian cancer @49 (like her mother) on 08 April 1997 in Danbury, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA ^{[8] [9] [10]} and was buried there on her property. ^[11]

Her influence on popular musicians has also been acknowledged by many artists.

Sources

1. ↑ New York, New York, Birth Index 1910-1965 on ancestry.com citing certificate#19677; for Laura Nigro, b: 18 Oct 1947 Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
2. ↑ "Jewish Stars 12/16" by Nate Bloom published on 15 Dec 2011 in "Cleveland Jewish News"; Text: "Her maternal grandparents were Russian Jews, as was her father's mother. Her paternal grandfather was Italian Catholic"
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Nyro
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} American National Biography Online for "Laura Nyro" by Dawn Lawson
5. ↑ "Wedding Bell Blues" by "The 5th Dimension" on songfacts.com
6. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theresa_Bernstein
7. ↑ Virginia, Marriage Records 1936-2014 on ancestry.com citing Virginia Department of Health in Richmond, Virginia; roll# 101285794; certificate #1971039160; for Laura Nyro @23, b: 18 Oct 1947 (father: Louis Nyro & mother: Gilda Mirsky) m: 13 Oct 1971 Alexandria, Virginia, USA; spouse: David George Bianchini
8. ↑ Connecticut Death Index 1949-2012 on ancestry.com citing Connecticut Department of Health; state#08135; for Laura (Nigro) Bianchini, b: 18 Oct 1947 New York (father's surname: Nigro) occ: singer & songwriter; res: 7 Zinn in Danbury, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d: 08 Apr 1997 Danbury, Fairfield County, Connecticut @49yrs; spouse: David (divorced)
9. ↑ Obituary Index 1800s-current on Newspapers.com for Laura (Nigro) Nyro (father: Louis Nigro) obit: Jul 2014 in various USA newspapers
10. ↑ U.S., Obituary Collection 1930-Current for Laura (Nigro) Nyro (father: Louis Nigro) obit:12 Jul 2014
11. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #8846 for Laura Nyro; original name: Laura Nigro, b: 18 Oct 1947 Bronx, Bronx County, New York, USA; d: 08 Apr 1997 Danbury, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA; buried: Laura Nyro Estate Grounds, Danbury, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA; ashes buried underneath a Japanese maple tree planted by her friends outside her bedroom window at her cottage. The ashes of her dog Ember were interred with her