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Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Richard Adler| image =| caption =| image_size =| background = non_performing_personnel| birth_name = Richard Adler| alias =| birth_date = birth date and age|1921|08|03|mf=y| death_date =| origin = New York City , United States|U.S.A. | instrument =| genre =| occupation = Composer , lyricist , Theatrical producer|producer | years_active =| label =| associated_acts = Jerry Ross (composer)|Jerry Ross | website = Richard Adler (born August 3, 1921) is an United States|American lyricist , composer and Theatrical producer|producer of several Broadway theatre|Broadway shows.
Biography
Born in New York City , Adler had a musical upbringing, his father being a concert pianist. After serving in the United States Navy|Navy he began his career as a lyricist, teaming up with Jerry Ross (composer)|Jerry Ross in 1950. As a duo they worked in tandem, both taking credit for lyrics and music.
The Adler & Ross Years (1950-1955)
After establishing their partnership, Adler and Ross quickly became proteges of composer/lyricist/publisher Frank Loesser . Their first notable composition was the song Rags to Riches (song)|Rags to Riches , which was recorded by Tony Bennett and reached number 1 on the charts in late 1953.
At the same time Bennett's recording was topping the charts, Adler and Ross began their career in the Broadway Theater with '' John Murray Anderson's Almanac , a revue for which they provided most of the songs.
Adler and Ross's second Broadway effort, The Pajama Game , opened in May 1954 and was a popular as well as a critical success, winning Tony Awards as well as the Donaldson Award and the Variety (magazine)|Variety Drama Critics Award. Three songs from the show were covered by popular artists and made the upper reaches of the US Hit Parade : Patti Page 's version of " Steam Heat " reached #9; Archie Bleyer took " Hernando's Hideaway " to #2; and Rosemary Clooney 's recording of "Hey There" made it to #1.
Opening almost exactly a year later, their next vehicle, Damn Yankees replicated the awards and success of the earlier show. Cross-over hits from the show were " Heart (Damn Yankees)|Heart ", recorded by Eddie Fisher (singer)|Eddie Fisher and " Whatever Lola Wants ", by Sarah Vaughan .
The duo had authored the music and lyrics for three great Broadway successes in three years, and had seen over a half-dozen of their songs reach the US top ten, two of them peaking at #1. However, their partnership was cut short when Ross died in November 1955, aged 29.
Later work
Adler continued to write both alone and with other partners, and composed a major 1958 hit in collaboration with Robert Allen (songwriter)|Robert Allen : " Everybody Loves a Lover ", as recorded by Doris Day . However, after 1955 Adler had no further successes on Broadway either as a composer or a producer, although revivals of The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees have proved popular. He wrote the musical Olympus 7-0000 for the show ABC Stage 67 . The 1973 revival of The Pajama Game included one new Adler song, which was retained for the 2006 revival.
Adler's last original Broadway musical was 1976's Music Is (lyrics by Will Holt, music by Adler) which was based on Shakespeare 's Twelfth Night .
In 2000, Debelah Morgan based her song " Dance with Me (Debelah Morgan song)|Dance With Me " on a sample of the Adler & Ross song "Hernando's Hideaway" from The Pajama Game . Adler & Ross consequently received co-composer credits on the track, which reached #8 on the US Billboard charts—and made Adler the unlikely 79-year-old co-composer of a 21st-century popular R& B hit.
In 2001, some Adler & Ross songs originally written for The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees were featured in the Broadway musical Fosse , about the work of Bob Fosse .
Personal life
Adler was born into the family of Clarence Adler, the famous concert pianist. Later, Richard had two sons Andrew and Christopher (d. 1984), and a daughter Katherine Adler.
Selected works
Broadway and television work
As composer/lyricist, unless otherwise noted:
Stop the Music (TV series)|Stop the Music - Writer; series aired 1949 to 1956
'' John Murray Anderson's Almanac – Musical December 10, 1953–June 26, 1954 (with Jerry Ross)
The Pajama Game – Musical, Comedy May 13, 1954–November 24, 1956 (with Jerry Ross)
Damn Yankees – Musical, Comedy May 5, 1955–October 12, 1957 (with Jerry Ross)
The Sin of Pat Muldoon – Play March 13, 1957–March 16, 1957 (Producer only - no music in play)
Gift of the Magi – TV musical featuring then wife Sally Ann Howes . December 9, 1958
Kwamina (musical)|Kwamina – Musical. Featured then-wife Sally Ann Howes . October 23, 1961–November 18, 1961
'' A Mother's Kisses (musical)|A Mother's Kisses – September 21 to October 19, 1968 – three weeks of out-of-town tryouts in New Haven and Baltimore only. It was cancelled before it reached Broadway. Featured Bea Arthur and Bernadette Peters
Rex (musical)|Rex – Musical April 25, 1976–June 5, 1976 (Producer only. Music by Richard Rogers, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick)
Music Is – Musical comedy December 20, 1976–December 26, 1976 (Composer only. Lyrics by Will Holt .)
Fosse – Musical, Revue, Dance January 14, 1999–August 25, 2001 (Includes Adler & Ross works originally written for Damn Yankees and The Pajama Game )
Broadway revivals
The Pajama Game – December 9, 1973–February 3, 1974
Damn Yankees – March 3, 1994–August 6, 1995
The Pajama Game – February 23, 2006–June 11, 2006 (starring Harry Connick Jr , Kelli O'Hara , Michael McKean )
Popular songs
" Rags to Riches (song)|Rags To Riches " (with Jerry Ross (composer)|Jerry Ross )
" Hey There|Hey, There " (with Jerry Ross)
" Hernando's Hideaway " (with Jerry Ross)
" Steam Heat " (with Jerry Ross)
" Whatever Lola Wants " (with Jerry Ross)
"Everybody Loves A Lover" (Words by Adler, music by Robert Allen (songwriter)|Robert Allen )
"Another Time, Another Place" (Words and music by Adler, from the 1961 musical Kwamina (musical)|Kwamina )
" Heart (Damn Yankees)|Heart " (with Jerry Ross)
" I'm Not at All in Love " (with Jerry Ross)
Awards, nominations and honors
Tony Award s
*1955 Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical – The Pajama Game (music and lyrics)
*1956 Tony Award for Best Musical|Best Musical – Damn Yankees (music and lyrics)
*1962 Tony Award for Best Original Score|Best Composer nomination – Kwamina (musical)|Kwamina (music)
Four Pulitzer Prize|Pulitzer Nominations
Two Donaldson Awards
Two Variety (magazine)|Variety Critics Awards
London Evening Standard Award
Colgate University|Colgate Distinguished Service Award
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984.
National Park Service Honorary Ranger Award
Emmy Award
Southampton Cultural Center Achievement Award for Theater (1993)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lifetime Achievement Award
Honorary Doctorate in Music and Theater Wagner College
Autobiography
cite book
| title = You Gotta Have Heart | author = Richard Adler with Lee Davis | year = 1990 | publisher = Donald I. Fine, Inc. | isbn = 1-55611-201-7
External links
Shof|id=39|name=Richard Adler
IMDb name|0012224
IBDB name|11290
Biography on http://www.mtishows.com/bio.asp? bID=3449 Music Theater International
Adler-Ross pop song Persondata | NAME = Adler, Richard | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = August 3, 1921 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Adler, Richard Category:1921 births Category:Living people Category:Jewish American musicians Category:Jewish classical musicians Category:Jewish composers and songwriters Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees
