Richard Adler
Richard Adler | |
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Born | New York City, U.S. | August 3, 1921
Died | June 21, 2012 Southampton, New York , U.S. | (aged 90)
Occupation(s) |
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Formerly of | Adler and Ross |
Richard Adler (August 3, 1921 – June 21, 2012) was an American lyricist, writer, composer and producer of several Broadway shows.[1]
Life and career
Adler was born in New York City,
Adler and Ross years (1950–1955)
After establishing their partnership, Adler and Ross quickly became protégés of composer, lyricist and publisher Frank Loesser. Their first notable composition was the song "Rags to Riches",[6] 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 Broadway theater with John Murray Anderson's Almanac, a revue for which they provided most of the songs.[6]
Adler and Ross's second Broadway effort,
Opening almost exactly a year later, their next vehicle,
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 No. 1. However, their partnership was cut short when Ross died of leukemia[7] in November 1955, aged 29.[1]
Ross is believed to have died from complications related to the lung disease bronchiectasis.[8]
Later work
Adler continued to write both alone and with other partners, and composed a major 1958 hit in collaboration with
His later musicals included
Adler wrote the musical Olympus 7-0000 for the show
In 2000, Debelah Morgan based her 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 No. 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.
He also composed several symphonic and ballet pieces, including one to celebrate the Statue of Liberty's centennial.[5]
Adler staged and produced several shows for U.S. presidents; the most notable of these was a 1962 Madison Square Garden birthday celebration for John F. Kennedy that included Marilyn Monroe singing a version of Happy Birthday to the president in her trademark breathy voice.[5]
He is a member of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.[5]
Personal life
Adler was married three times. His second marriage was to English actress
Richard was a
Death
Adler died on June 21, 2012, at his home in Southampton, New York, at age 90. He was survived by his third wife, Susan A. Ivory; his son, Andrew; his daughter, Katherine; and his stepson, Charlie Shipman.[11][12]
Selected works
Broadway and television work
As composer/lyricist, unless otherwise noted:
- 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)
- Little Women - TV musical featuring Florence Henderson, Jeannie Carson, Zina Bethune, Margaret O'Brien, and Joel Grey. October 16, 1958
- Gift of the Magi (musical) – TV musical featuring then wife Sally Ann Howes. December 9, 1958
- Kwamina – Musical. Featured then-wife Sally Ann Howes. October 23, 1961 – November 18, 1961
- 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 canceled before it reached Broadway. Featured Bea Arthur and Bernadette Peters
- 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
- Harry Connick Jr, Kelli O'Hara, Michael McKean)
Popular songs
- "Rags To Riches" (with Jerry Ross)
- "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)
- "Another Time, Another Place" (Words and music by Adler, from the 1961 musical Kwamina)
- "Heart" (with Jerry Ross)
- "I'm Not at All in Love" (with Jerry Ross)
Awards, nominations and honors
- Tony Awards
- 1955 Best Musical – The Pajama Game (music and lyrics)
- 1956 Best Musical – Damn Yankees (music and lyrics)
- 1962 Kwamina(music)
- Four Pulitzer Nominations
- Two Donaldson Awards
- Two Variety Critics Awards
- London Evening StandardAward
- 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
- ASCAPRichard Rodgers Award
- Honorary Doctorate in Music and Theater Wagner College
Autobiography
- Richard Adler with Lee Davis (1990). You Gotta Have Heart. Donald I. Fine, Inc. ISBN 1-55611-201-7.
References
- ^ ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- ^ "Richard Adler Biography (1921–)". Filmreference.com. August 3, 1921. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ "Clarence Adler". Amica.org. October 18, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Musical composer, lyricist Richard Adler dies at 90". CBC News. June 22, 2012.
- ^ ISBN 0415938775.
- OCLC 61362789.
- ^ "Jerry Ross | Songwriters Hall of Fame".
- ^ Fein, Esther B. (December 2, 1984). "Christopher Adler, 30, Dies; Lyricist For Maclaine Show". The New York Times.
- ^ "Visit of Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman John Bailey, Lena Horne, Carol Lawrence, Richard Adler, Sidney Salomon, Vice-Chairwoman of the DNC Margaret B. Price, and Secretary of the DNC Dorothy Vredenburgh Bush, 11:30AM | JFK Library". Jfklibrary.org. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
- Playbill.com, June 22, 2012
- ^ "'Near to You': Composer Richard Adler Celebrated at Memorial". June 28, 2012.
External links
- Richard Adler at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
- Richard Adler at IMDb
- Richard Adler at the Internet Broadway Database
- Richard Adler Collection, 1950-1980 at the Library of Congress
- Biography on Music Theater International Author Bios
- Whatever Lola Wants – Sarah Vaughan on YouTube