WASHINGTON — Will Holt, a 1950s folk singer who wrote the popular song ‘‘Lemon Tree’’ and later composed lyrics and music for several Broadway musicals, died May 31 in Los Angeles. He was 86.
He had Alzheimer’s disease, his son, Courtney of Los Angeles, said in a tribute on Twitter.
Mr. Holt, who was educated at private schools in his native New England, became interested in folk music in his teens. He traveled throughout Europe and joined the burgeoning folk-revival scene in New York’s Greenwich Village.
He formed a duo with singer Dolly Jonah, his first wife, and they released albums in the 1950s and 1960s. They were based for several years in St. Louis, where they appeared on stage with such well-known performers as Barbra Streisand, Phyllis Diller, and the Smothers Brothers. They later appeared at such venues as the Village Vanguard in New York.
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Mr. Holt composed ‘‘Lemon Tree’’ in the late 1950s, based on a Brazilian melody, and the catchy tune became popular among folk singers. It was recorded by the Kingston Trio in 1961 and appeared on the debut album of the folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary in 1962.
Other artists followed suit, including the Seekers, Herb Alpert, and Bob Marley. A 1965 recording by singer-guitarist Trini Lopez became a Top 20 pop hit. Lopez sang the lyrics — about a failed romance — with a bouncy, Caribbean-flavored lilt: “Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.”
The song was ubiquitous in the 1960s and later showed up on an episode of ‘‘Seinfeld’’ and in a commercial for lemon Pledge furniture cleaner. Another of his compositions, ‘‘Raspberries, Strawberries,’’ was twice recorded by the Kingston Trio and appeared on the group’s 1960 album, ‘‘Sold Out,’’ which reached No. 1 on the pop charts.
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In the 1960s, Mr. Holt began to explore more ambitious projects. He produced a revue of music by Kurt Weill, which he performed with singer Martha Schlamme, and directed a production of Leonard Bernstein’s theatrical songs. He wrote several plays on musical themes before finding success as the lyricist for the rock musical ‘‘The Me Nobody Knows,’’ which debuted off Broadway in 1970.
Mr. Holt’s lyrics were drawn from the writings of children living in poverty in New York. The play moved to Broadway, where it ran for almost a year. Mr. Holt received a Drama Desk award and was nominated for a Tony Award for best lyrics.
Later in the 1970s, Mr. Holt wrote the book for ‘‘Over Here!,’’ a musical set during World War II, which featured the Andrews Sisters singing group.
Mr. Holt returned to performing in 1979 with ‘‘A Kurt Weill Cabaret,’’ singing lyrics he translated from German. He continued to write and produce new shows, including a gritty musical, ‘‘Walk on the Wild Side,’’ based on a novel by Nelson Algren.
William Holt was born in Portland, Maine, and was a graduate of the Phillips Exeter prep school in New Hampshire. He attended Williams College in Massachusetts, and studied with Richard Dyer-Bennet.
After ‘‘Lemon Tree’’ became a hit in the 1960s, the royalty checks enabled Mr. Holt to cut back on singing in clubs to devote more time to writing.
‘‘When I saw my first check,’’ he said in 1988, ‘‘I said, ‘Oh, I guess this means I don’t have to keep doing four shows a night.’ ’’
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