Lee adams lyricist biography of abraham

Strouse is best known for his work on Broadway theater musicals. His first musical was Bye, Bye Birdie, (1960) written with his long time collaborator, Lee Adams, and starred Dick VanDyke, Chita Rivera, and Paul Lynde. It earned him his first of three Tony Awards and produced the hit songs “Put on a Happy Face” and “A Lot of Livin’ To Do.” In 1970, Applause, staring Lauren Bacall, won him his second Tony. Strouse earned a third Tony in 1977 when he teamed up with lyricist, Martin Charnin, and librettist, Thomas Meehan, to write the score for Annie, that included the songs, “Tomorrow” and “It’s a Hard Knock Life.”

In 1958 Strouse wrote the pop song, “Born too late,” performed by the Poni-Tails. It went to number seven on the Billboard Charts. Other songs of his have been recorded by generations of top recording artists such as Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Barbara Streisand, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Harry Connick Jr., and even rapper Jay-Z, who won a Grammy Award in 1998 with his version of “It’s a Hard Knock Life.”

Strouse’s reach also extends into film and television. His movie score for Bonnie and Clyde (1967) was nominated for a Grammy, and he’s added Emmys and a Peabody award to his collection for various musicals produced for television.

From the time Strouse was a young boy, music had been a source of happiness for him. Every week he and his mother would go to Woolworth’s to buy the latest sheet music. It would be demonstrated by a sales person on piano, but they couldn’t wait to get home with it where the whole family would stand around the piano and sing while his mother played. It was this memory that would resurface years later to become the inspiration for the opening scene and theme song for the TV show All in the Family.

His formal musical education began at the age of 10 with piano lessons from a teacher at Camp Wigwam in Maine. He didn’t have much interest in “serious” music, but when his mother hired Abraha

In Hodgenville, Kentucky, in a cabin made of pine

Abe Lincoln was born February 12, 1809

He educated himself, most with books by candlelight

He became a wrestling champ, both from his strength and from his height

Abe served in the militia, was county postmaster, too

But law became his passion, so borrowed law books, he went through

Abe met Mary in '39, they wed in '42

He had had second thoughts, but decided to say 'I do'

Four sons, the couple had, first, Robert, born in '43

Sadly, he, the only one to live to maturity

Four terms a rep in Illinois, then, one for the US

Abe ran to be Senator, but lost to Stephen Douglas

In '61, Abe was elected 16th president

He got few votes from Southern States, his slave view's evident

See, Abe was anti-slavery. he Southern states were not

They broke from the US, then at Fort Sumter, fired the first shot

From '61 to '65, the Civil War raged on

Abe signed a proclamation to make Southern slavery gone

Abe was actively involved in the war's strategy

At Appomattox, the end came with surrender by General Lee

Five days later, April 14th, Abe went to see a play

Booth entered his booth and then shot him. Abe died the next day

Lincoln's on the five dollar bill and the penny, too

They remind us of Abe's critical role in paying freedom's dues

On the Adam's farm in Braintree

Little John was born

October 19, 1735, on a Sunday morn

At 16, he entered Harvard

Then, he studied law

He strived to be a great man, this, the best way that he saw

In '59, John met Abigail. Thought she was immature

Fondness grew, then they were wed in the fall of '64

Six children came, 'Nabbie' first, following her, John Quincy

Who would become famous, too, in the Presidency

His office was in Boston. There, the Massacre occurred

Of the soldiers John defended, six cleared from his words

He loathed injustice by the British, taking a firm stance

Pushed adoption of the Declaration of Independence

Chorus

John Adams was the second president of our nation

He moved America ahead through determination

In '89, Washington was Prez, and Adams, the VP

John was loyal to George's plans, though bored with few duties

The election for the 2nd prez took place in '96,

John won, but a riff with Jefferson grew that many years could not fix

Adams struggled with France in what became the Quasi-War

The US Navy got involved, then, a treaty closed the door

John retired from public life to his farm, where he'd preside

In '12, he and Tom began to write, and stopped the day they died

On July 4, 1826, 50 years after Independence

John, 90, died quietly in bed at his Quincy residence

John Adams, proud and headstrong. So our history says

He steered the country to greater good as lawyer, founder, prez