Jerry Ross (born Jerold Rosenberg; March 9, 1926 – November 11, 1955) was an American lyricist and composer whose works with Richard Adler for the musical theater include ''

The Pajama Game ''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel '' 7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell. The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. and dances were staged by Bob Fosse in hi ...

'' and ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., dur ...

'', winners of

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 1955 and 1956, respectively, in both the "Best Musical" and "Best Composer and Lyricist" categories.

Biography

Jerold Rosenberg was born in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

to a

Russian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...

household, to immigrant parents, Lena and Jacob Rosenberg, in the

, New York City. Growing up, he was a professional singer and actor in the

Yiddish theater Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Central European Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic re ...

. "Jerry Ross Biography"
AllMusic. Retrieved August 3, 2018 Following high school, he studied at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

under Rudolph Schramm. Introductions to singer

Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, ''The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress Eli ...

and others brought him into contact with music publishers at the Brill Building, the center of songwriting activity in New York. (Fisher later had a hit with Ross’ ''The Newspaper Song''.) Ross met Richard Adler in 1950, and as a duo they became protégés of the great composer, lyricist, and publisher Frank Loesser. Their song ''

Rags to Riches Rags to riches refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth, and in some cases from absolute obscurity to heights of fame, fortune and celebrity—sometimes instantly. This is a common archetype in literature and popul ...

'' was recorded by

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...

and reached number 1 on the charts in 1953. They also had a jazz novelty hit with Anita O'Day's recording of "No Soap, No Hope Blues". Adler and Ross began their career in the Broadway theater with '' John Murray Anderson's Almanac'', a revue for which they provided most of the songs (resulting in recordings of ''Acorn in the Meadow'' by

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an internati ...

and ''Fini'' by

Polly Bergen Polly Bergen (born Nellie Paulina Burgin; July 14, 1930 – September 20, 2014) was an American actress, singer, television host, writer and entrepreneur. She won an Emmy Award in 1958 for her performance as Helen Morgan in '' The Helen ...

). The revue opened in 1953 and ran for 229 performances. Adler and Ross's second effort, ''

'', opened on Broadway in May 1954. It was a popular as well as critical success, running for 1063 performances. The show won the 1955 Tony Award for Best Musical as well as the Donaldson Award and the

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

Drama Critics Award. Two songs from the show, " Hernando's Hideaway" (for Archie Bleyer) and " Hey There" (for

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song " Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano" ...

), topped the Hit Parade. Other notable songs were " Steam Heat" (choreographed on stage by

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...

), "Small Talk", and "Seven and a Half Cents". Their next musical, ''

'', opened on Broadway in 1955, starring

Gwen Verdon Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon (January 13, 1925October 18, 2000) was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for t ...

. The musical ran for 1019 performances. Adler and Ross won the 1956 Tony Award, Composer And Lyricist, and Musical. Cross-over hits from the show were ''

Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as ca ...

,'' recorded by

and ''

Whatever Lola Wants "Whatever Lola Wants" is a popular song, sometimes rendered as "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets". The music and words were written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross for the 1955 musical play ''Damn Yankees''. The song is sung to Joe Hardy by Lol ...

'' for

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and " The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Award ...

.''

Death

Jerry Ross died on November 11, 1955, at the age of 29, from complications related to the lung disease

bronchiectasis Bronchiectasis is a disease in which there is permanent enlargement of parts of the airways of the lung. Symptoms typically include a chronic cough with mucus production. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing up blood, and chest ...

. In his short life, Ross was extremely productive; he wrote, alone or in collaboration, more than 250 songs in addition to his theatre work. Ross was entered posthumously into the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...

in 1982,"Jerry Ross"
songhall.org. Retrieved August 3, 2018 his widow, Judy, and daughter, Janie, accepting on his behalf.

References

External links

*Biography o
Music Theater International
site
The Jerry Ross Official websiteJerry Ross
a
Songwriters Hall of Fame

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Jerry American musical theatre composers American musical theatre lyricists Musicians from the Bronx Jewish American composers Jewish American songwriters Broadway composers and lyricists 1955 deaths 1926 births Deaths from lung disease New York University alumni Songwriters from New York (state) Tony Award winners 20th-century American composers 20th-century American Jews