Composer Charles Strouse, who died Thursday at age 96, was Broadway royalty – a three-time Tony winner for Bye Bye Birdie, Applause and Annie. He also won two Grammys (as both composer and producer) for the Annie cast album and a Primetime Emmy for a 1996 revival of Bye Bye Birdie starring Jason Alexander and Vanessa Williams. Strouse was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985.
Even if you’re not a Broadway buff, you know at least a few of Adams’ songs. Annie spawned the instant standard “Tomorrow,” which Barbra Streisand covered on her platinum album Songbird. Jay-Z had a top 15 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999 with “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem),” which sampled “It’s the Hard Knock Life” from Annie.
Bye Bye Birdie, about a pop star who was drafted to go into the Army (inspired by Elvis Presley, the biggest pop star of the 1950s, who experienced a similar fate at the height of his fame), also spawned a standard – the jaunty “Put on a Happy Face,” which Dick Van Dyke performed in the musical (and in the 1963 film version). The song was covered by such artists as Nancy Wilson, Johnny Mathis, The Supremes and Tony Bennett. Bye Bye Birdie also included the spirited “A Lot of Livin’ to Do,” which was recorded by such stars as Bobby Rydell.
Strouse was born Charles Louis Strouse in New York City on June 7, 1928. In 1949 he met lyricist Lee Adams at a party, which led to a long and successful musical partnership. The duo began by writing tunes for numerous revues, as well as special material for performers such as Kaye Ballard, Carol Burnett, Jane Morgan and Dick Shawn.
In 1958, Strouse teamed with Fred Tobias to write “Born Too Late,” which became a No. 7 hit on the then-new Hot 100 for Poni-Tails, a female vocal trio.
Strouse teamed with Adams to write the songs for several long-running Broadway musicals. They won Tonys for best musical in 1961 for Bye Bye Birdie (for which Van Dyke won a Tony) and in 1970 for Applause (for which Lauren Bacall won a Tony). They were nominated for a Tony for best musical in 1965 for Golden Boy (for which Sammy Davis Jr. was nominated for a Tony).
Even some of their lesser hits spawned memorable songs. 1962’s All American, which starred Ray Bolger, closed after 80 performances. However, one song from the score, “Once Upon a Time,” became an oft-performed standard of the 1960s, with recordings by such top singers as Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, Perry Como, Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra. Richard Carpenter performed the poignant ballad at a 1983 concert soon after the death of his sister, Karen Carpenter.
Strouse scored the 1967 film classic Bonnie and Clyde, which brought him a Grammy nod for best original score written for a motion picture or TV special. Strouse and Adams wrote songs for The Night They Raided Minsky’s, a 1968 film produced by Norman Lear. While that film was only a modest hit, their collaboration with the producer would be a blockbuster.
In 1970, Strouse and Adams were asked to write a theme song for a TV show that Lear was developing. The show, which debuted in January 1971, was All in the Family, the biggest and most groundbreaking TV hit of the decade. Series stars Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton performed the theme song “Those Were the Days,” which perfectly captured the tone of the show, from its opening lines: “Boy, the way Glenn Miller played/ Songs that made ‘The Hit Parade’/ Guys like us we had it made/ Those were the days.” The title sequence, of Archie and Edith performing the tune at their piano, is said to have been inspired by Strouse’s childhood memories of playing music with his parents at home. Released as a single, the original version reached No. 43 on the Hot 100 in 1972.
Several of Strouse’s scores climbed high on the Billboard 200. The Bye Bye Birdie cast album reached No. 12 (the subsequent film soundtrack climbed even higher – No. 2 in 1963). A TV soundtrack to All in the Family (which included “Those Were the Days”) reached No. 8 in 1972. The Annie cast album petered out at No. 81, but went platinum.
While Strouse is probably best known for his long partnership with Adams – who is still living at age 100 – he also collaborated with other lyricists. He and Martin Charnin teamed to write Annie, which won seven Tony Awards, including best musical and best original score.
Strouse received three subsequent Tony nominations for best original score, working with a different lyricist on each of the shows. He teamed with David Rogers on Charlie and Algernon (1981); with Steven Schwartz on Rags (1987); and with Richard Maltby, Jr. on Nick and Nora (1992).
Two revivals of Annie have received Tony nominations for best revival of a musical. In addition, a live staging of the show, titled Annie Live!, was produced for NBC in 2021.
Strouse loved what he did and remained active, which was doubtless a key to his longevity. “I work every day,” he told The Associated Press during an interview on the eve of his 80th birthday in 2008. “Activity — it’s a life force. When you enjoy doing what you’re doing, which I do very much, I have something to get up for.”
Strouse died at his home in New York City, his family said. Strouse’s wife, director-choreographer Barbara Siman, died in 2023. He is survived by four children, Ben, Nick, Victoria and William.
