Lee Adams

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Lee Adams
BornLeopold Richard Adams
(1924-08-14) August 14, 1924 (age 101)
Mansfield, Ohio, U.S.
OccupationWriter, librettist
Alma mater
Notable works Bye Bye Birdie
Golden Boy
It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman
Applause
Notable awards2 Tony Awards, 1 Emmy Award
SpouseKelly Wood Adams
Children2

Lee Richard Adams (born Leopold Richard Adams, [1] [2] August 14, 1924) is an American lyricist best known for his musical theatre collaboration with Charles Strouse.

Contents

Biography

Lee Adams was born in Mansfield, Ohio, on August 14, 1924. [3] He is the son of Dr. Leopold Adams, originally of Stamford, Connecticut, and Florence Ellis (originally Elishack) Adams, originally of Racine, Wisconsin. His family is Jewish. He is a graduate of Mansfield Senior High School. [4] He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio State University and a Master's from Columbia University. While attending Ohio State, he was a brother of the Nu chapter of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. He worked as a journalist for newspaper and magazines. He met Charles Strouse in 1949, and they initially wrote for summer-time revues. [5]

Adams won Tony Awards in 1961 for Bye Bye Birdie , the first Broadway musical he wrote with Strouse, and in 1970 for Applause and was nominated for a Tony Award in 1965 for Golden Boy . [6] 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. [6] Additionally, Strouse and Adams co-wrote "Those Were the Days", the opening theme to the TV situation comedy All in the Family . Adams was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989. [7]

Adams has been married to his wife, Dr. Kelly Wood Adams, since September 1980. [8] They have lived in Briarcliff Manor, New York since 2007. He has two daughters and three grandchildren. [9] He turned 100 in August 2024. [10]

Nonmusical 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. [11]

Works

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Aug 15, 1924, page 20 - News Journal at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
  2. ↑ "Lee Adams – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
  3. ↑ Green, Stanley (1976). "Adams, Lee". Encyclopaedia of the Musical Theatre. Dodd, Mead & Co. p. 2. ISBN   978-0396072218.
  4. ↑ "Lyricist Lee Adams to Write Show Biz Column". Ohio, Mansfield. News-Journal. February 23, 1975. p. 1. Retrieved November 2, 2015– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. ↑ "Lee Adams" pbs.com, retrieved January 31, 2019
  6. 1 2 "Lee Adams Broadway" Playbill, retrieved January 31, 2019
  7. ↑ "Lee Adams" songhall.org, retrieved January 31, 2019
  8. ↑ "Sep 14, 1980, page 313 - Oakland Tribune at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
  9. ↑ Kramer, Peter D. (October 16, 2015). "Briarcliff's 'Birdie' connection, Lee Adams". The Journal News . Gannett Company . Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  10. ↑ Friedwald, Will (October 23, 2024). "A Celebration of Songwriter Charles Strouse Sparks Sentimental Journeys Aplenty". The New York Sun . Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  11. ↑ Bloom, Ken (2007). Routledge Guide to Broadway. New York City: Routledge. p. 247. ISBN   978-0-415-97380-9 . Retrieved 30 November 2015.

Sources

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