Lee Richard Adams (born August 14, 1924) is an American lyricist best known for his

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

collaboration with Charles Strouse.

Biography

Born in

Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The ci ...

, Adams is the son of Dr. Leopold Adams, originally of

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 202 ...

and Florence Ellis (originally Elishack) Adams, originally of

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...

. His family is Jewish. He is a graduate of Mansfield Senior High School. He received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pub ...

and a

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. While attending

he was a brother of the Nu chapter of the

Zeta Beta Tau Zeta Beta Tau () is a Greek-letter social fraternity based in North America. It was founded on December 29, 1898. Originally a Zionist youth society, its purpose changed from Zionism in the fraternity's early years when in 1954 the fraternity be ...

fraternity. He worked as a journalist for newspaper and magazines. He met Charles Strouse in 1949 and they initially wrote for summer-time revues. Adams won

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

s in 1961 for '' Bye Bye Birdie'', the first Broadway musical he wrote with Strouse, and in 1970 for ''

Applause Applause ( Latin ''applaudere,'' to strike upon, clap) is primarily a form of ovation or praise expressed by the act of clapping, or striking the palms of the hands together, in order to create noise. Audiences usually applaud after a performanc ...

'' and was nominated for a Tony Award in 1965 for '' Golden Boy''."Lee Adams Broadway"
Playbill, retrieved January 31, 2019 In addition, he wrote the lyrics for '' All American'', '' It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman'', '' Bring Back Birdie'', and '' A Broadway Musical'', and the book and lyrics for ''Ain't Broadway Grand''. Additionally, Strouse and Adams co-wrote "Those Were the Days", the opening theme to the TV

situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new ...

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series ''Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

''. Adams was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989. Adams and his wife, Dr. Kelly Wood Adams, have lived in Briarcliff Manor, New York since 2007. He has two daughters and three grandchildren.

Non-musical writing

In addition to his work with lyrics, Adams "had a lifelong fascination with words," which led to his being an editor for the Sunday newspaper magazine supplement This Week and a member of the staff of Pageant magazine.

Works

* ''A Pound in Your Pocket (1958) * '' Bye Bye Birdie'' (1960) * '' All American'' (1962) * '' Golden Boy'' (1964) * '' It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman'' (1966) * ''

'' (1970) * ''

I and Albert ''I and Albert'' is a 1972 musical by composer Charles Strouse, and lyricist Lee Adams. The plot is based on the lives of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and was adapted for the stage by Jay Presson Allen. P ...

'' (1972) * '' Bring Back Birdie'' (1980) * '' A Broadway Musical'' (1982), contributed the song ''Dancing'' * ''Aint Broadway Grand!'' (1993)

References

Sources

External links

* * 1924 births Living people 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights United States Army personnel of World War II American lyricists American musical theatre lyricists Broadway composers and lyricists Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni Ohio State University alumni People from Mansfield, Ohio People from Briarcliff Manor, New York Primetime Emmy Award winners Songwriters from Ohio Jewish American songwriters Tony Award winners United States Army soldiers 21st-century American Jews {{US-songwriter-stub