Joe Darion

Joe Darion is the lyricist for the 1965 musical Man of La Mancha, winner of the 1966 Tony Award for Best Original Score, with composer Mitch Leigh. He also wrote the lyrics and book for Shinbone Alley, and he wrote the lyrics for the Tony-award winning Broadway musical IIlya Darling, which won the 1968 Tony Award for Best Original Score, making it the second musical he won in that category.. Joe Darion served in the Navy during World War II. Besides musicals, Darion also wrote lyrics for pop songs and partnered with composer Ezra Laderman, Darion wrote lyrics for the operas Galieo and David Wept. Darion was working on a final show called Oswego, but passed away before he could finish it.