The mathematician-turned-musician wrote songs that, decades later, still make readers laugh.

Before Tom Lehrer opened his mouth, he seemed the image of decency. Sitting at the piano in a tux as sharp as his jawline, looking a little nerdy with his slicked-back hair, large-framed glasses and ...

His topical songs were wildly popular among the college crowd, and many of us committed them to memory along with Bob Dylan’s similarly provocative lyrics.