(Harold), American composer of popular music; b. Kansas City, Mo., Mar. 18, 1927. Kander studied piano privately, then took courses at Columbia University in N.Y. In 1962, he tried his hand at a Broadway musical, The Family Affair, but was unsuccessful. That same year he teamed up with the lyricist Fred Ebb (b. N.Y., April 8, 1932), with whom he produced the hit songs My Coloring Book and I Don't Care Much.

Encouraged by their success, Kander and Ebb wrote the musical Flora, the Red Menace in 1965 as a vehicle for Liza Minnelli. It was followed a year later by their smash hit Cabaret, which won the Tony and Drama Critics awards and was made into a film in 1972. Among their subsequent shows were Zorba (1968), Chicago (1975), Woman of the Year (1981), The Rink (1984), and Kiss of the Spiderwoman (1990).