Doris Willens

Doris Willens
Portrait of Doris Willens
Willens in the 1960s
Born(1924-08-15)August 15, 1924
New York City, U.S.
DiedJuly 15, 2021(2021-07-15) (aged 96)
Other namesDoris Kaplan
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • columnist
  • lyricist
  • advertising executive
Notable work
  • Piano Bar (1978)
  • Lonesome Traveler: The Life of Lee Hays (1988)
Spouses
  • (m. 1947; div. 1948)
  • Milton Kaplan
    (m. 1949; died 1972)

Doris Willens (August 15, 1924 – July 15, 2021) was an American singer-songwriter, journalist, advertising executive and author. She was a member of the Baby Sitters children's folk music group along with Alan Arkin and Lee Hays,[1] and she wrote Lonesome Traveler: The Life of Lee Hays (1988), describing his career with the Almanac Singers and the Weavers.[2][3]

Willens worked for the New York Journal-American as a columnist covering Madison Avenue advertising agencies. For nearly two decades she ran public relations for ad agency Doyle Dane Bernbach, ending as vice president. Later, she punctured the reputation of William Bernbach by writing about him from an insider's perspective. She wrote a handful of musicals and plays including Piano Bar in 1978.[4] Creating a theatrical group for seniors – Primrose Productions – Willens co-produced musicals in Long Island, New York, in the 1990s and 2000s.[5]

Her older brother was wealthy political donor and Nuclear Freeze activist Harold Willens (1914–2003).[6]

  1. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Doris Willens". AllMusic. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  2. ^ Cliff, Mary (August 30, 1988). "Lee Hays, the Restless Radical". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  3. ^ Trosky, Susan M. (1989). Contemporary Authors - Volume 127. Gale Research International, Limited. p. 484.
  4. ^ Barry, Ann (July 9, 1978). "Arts and Leisure Guide". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Delatiner2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rourke2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).