Richard Adler (born August 3, 1921) is an American lyricist, composer and producer of several Broadway shows.

Born in New York City, Adler had a musical upbringing, his father being a concert pianist. After serving in the navy he began his career as a lyricist, teaming up with Jerry Ross in 1950.

They had three great successes, but Ross died in 1955. Adler continued alone (though he had a major hit in collaboration with Robert Allen with the song "Everybody Loves a Lover" in 1958) and his most recent work was Fosse, about the work of Bob Fosse, in 2001.

He has two sons Andrew and Christopher (d. 1984), and daughter Katherine Adler.

He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984.

Selected works

• John Murray Anderson's Almanac – Musical December 10, 1953–June 26, 1954
• The Pajama Game – Musical, Comedy May 13, 1954–November 24, 1956
• Damn Yankees – Musical, Comedy May 5, 1955–October 12, 1957
• The Sin of Pat Muldoon – Play March 13, 1957–March 16, 1957
• Gift of the Magi – 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 cancelled before it reached Broadway. Featured Bea Arthur and Bernadette Peters
• The Pajama Game – Musical Comedy December 9, 1973–February 3, 1974
• Rex – Musical April 25, 1976–June 5, 1976
• Music Is – Musical comedy December 20, 1976–December 26, 1976
• Damn Yankees – Musical comedy March 3, 1994–August 6, 1995
• Fosse – Musical, Revue, Dance January 14, 1999–August 25, 2001
• The Pajama Game – Musical, Comedy February 23, 2006–June 11, 2006 (starring Harry Connick Jr, Kelli O'Hara, Michael McKean)

Popular songs

• "Rags To Riches"
• "Hey, There"
• "Hernando's Hideaway"
• "Steam Heat"
• "Whatever Lola Wants"
• "You Gotta Have Heart"
• "Everybody Loves A Lover"
• "Another Time, Another Place" - Kwamina (1961)
• "Heart"
• "I'm Not at All in Love"
• "Teasin'"

Awards and nominations

• Four Tony Awards, including:
  • 1956 Tony Award® Best Musical - Damn Yankees
  • 1955 Tony Award® Best Musical - The Pajama Game
• One Tony Nomination: 1962 Tony Award® Best Composer - Kwamina
• Four Pulitzer Nominations
• Two Donaldson Awards
• Two Variety Critics Awards
• London Evening Standard Award
• Colgate Distinguished Service Award
• Songwriters Hall of Fame
• 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
• ASCAP Richard Rodgers Award
• Honorary Doctorate in Music and Theater Wagner College

Autobiography

• Richard Adler (1990). You Gotta Have Heart. Donald I. Fine, Inc.. ISBN 1-55611-201-7. 

External links

• Richard Adler at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
• Richard Adler at the Internet Movie Database
• Richard Adler at the Internet Broadway Database
• Biography on Music Theater International

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