Richard Adler
| Richard Adler | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Richard Adler |
| Born |
August 3, 1921 New York City, New York City |
| Died | June 21, 2012 (aged 90) Southampton, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, lyricist, producer |
| Associated acts | Jerry Ross |
Richard Adler (August 3, 1921 – June 21, 2012) was an American lyricist, writer, composer and producer of several Broadway shows.
Adler was born in New York City, the son of Elsa Adrienne (née Richard) and Clarence Adler. His mother was a "debutante" from Mobile, Alabama. Adler had a musical upbringing, his father being a renowned Jewish concert pianist as well as teacher of such as Aaron Copland. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1943 and served in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War II. After his Navy service he began his career as a lyricist, teaming up with Jerry Ross in 1950. As a duo they worked in tandem, both taking credit for lyrics and music.
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", 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.
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 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.
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