Andrew Lloyd Webber was born on March 22, 1948 in London, England. Coming from a musical family, Lloyd Webber studied at Magdalen College, Oxford and at the Royal College of Music. While still a student, he began working with Time Rice puting lyrics to music. The first of these ventures to become a big hit was Joseph and the Amazing Technocolor Dreamcoat in 1968. It was followed up by the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar in 1971. At the time, this musical was both revolutionary and controversal for the use of rock music to tell the story of the life of Chirst. However, it did go on to become one of the longest running shows in British theater. The last major work Lloyd Webber and Rice worked together on was the biograpical adaption of the life of Eva Peron, wife of the Argentine dictator, in the show Evita in 1978.
In 1981, Lloyd Webber adaped T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats into the smash hit CATS! The show's unique dance style and costumes captured the hearts and imaginations of thousands of people all over the world, making one of the most popular shows of all time. It displaced A Chorus Line as Broadway's longest - running musical and ran from 1981 to 2000.
After CATS, Lloyd Webber continued on his streak of hits with Song and Dance (1982), Starlight Express (1984), Aspects of Love(1989), and of course the increadibly popular Phantom of the Opera (1986) which, in my humble opinion, is second only to CATS.
Lloyd Webber's musicals are enthralling specticles of song and color. His willingness to use modern music styles as well as respected classic styles in a wonderfully blended way is only part of what makes him this century's musical and theatric genius.
Information for this bio was taken from
Encyclopedia Brittanica Online
