Jeff Moss

Jeff Moss served as founding head-writer and composer/lyricist on CTW's (now Sesame Workshop's) Sesame Street (1969). He won 15 Emmys for his work, and wrote the songs for four Grammy Award-winning records. His music and lyrics for The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) earned him an Academy Award nomination. In addition, Moss helped create such beloved Muppet characters as Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, and Guy Smiley. Moss also wrote many of Sesame Street's hit songs, such as "I Love Trash," "Skin," and "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon." Johnny Cash, Julie Andrews, The Boston Pops, and many other top musical stars have performed Moss' songs. His first single, "Rubber Duckie," sold more than a million copies. Another Moss hit, "Nasty Dan," was recorded by Johnny Cash and Claude François in France, where it became No. 1 on the pop charts. Moss started composing as a youngster; he studied Western classical music at New York's Browning High School and went on to Princeton University, where he studied music and wrote books, music, and lyrics for the college's Triangle Club Productions. Moss penned more than a dozen best-selling books under the "Sesame Street" name and as an independent humorist as well.