RICHARD RODGERS
Richard Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II. His compositions have had a significant impact on popular music up to the present day, and have an enduring broad appeal. Rodgers was the first person to win what are considered the top show business awards in television, recording, movies and Broadway — an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony — now known collectively as an EGOT. He has also won a Pulitzer Prize, making him one of two people (Marvin Hamlisch is the other) to receive each award. (More from Wikipedia)
In my last post, I was mostly talking about solo songwriters like Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, but writing songs is primarily a collaborative profession. In many cases, the music and the lyrics would be written separately. Richard Rodgers was a towering figure in writing music for Broadway shows and other productions; he primarily worked with two different lyricists over the years, Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II.
(April 2015/1)
