Born: Born on June 28, 1902 as Richard Charles Rodgers
Birthplace: New York City, N.Y., U.S.A.
Died: Dec. 30, 1979 in New York City
Also Known As: American 20th century composer known for his musical comedies. He published over 900 songs and won numerous awards including the Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, Tonys and two Pulitzers.
Type of Compositions: Rodgers is famous for his musical comedies, he wrote about 40 Broadway musicals. Most of his work enjoys a distinct place in popular music.
Influence: He went to Columbia University where he met Lorenz Hart, one of the librettists he would later collaborate with. Rodgers then studied composition at the Juilliard School. When Hart died in 1943, Rodgers started to work with Oscar Hammerstein II.
Notable Works with Hart: "Poor Little Ritz Girl," "Dearest Enemy," "Peggy-Ann," 'Chee-Chee," "I'd Rather Be Right," "I Married An Angel," "Too Many Girls," Higher and Higher," "On Your Toes," "Garrick Gaieties," "Girl Friend," "A Connecticut Yankee," "Babes in Arms," "The Boys from Syracuse," "Pal Joey" and "By Jupiter."
Notable Works with Hammerstein: "Oklahoma!," "Allegro," "Me and Juliet," "Carousel," "South Pacific," "The King and I," "The Sound of Music," "Pipe Dream" and "Flower Drum Song". Rodgers also wrote the music for the movie "Victory at Sea" and "The Valiant Years."
He continued to write for Broadway after the death of Hammerstein in 1960. These works include "No Strings," "Do I Hear A Waltz," "Two by Two," "Rex" and "I Remember Mama."
Interesting Facts: The musical, "Oklahoma!", was based on a play by Lynn Riggs titled "Green Grow the Lilacs". Both "Oklahoma!" and "South Pacific" won the coveted Pulitzer Prize. Richard Rodgers was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. He collaborated with other lyricists including Stephen Sondheim, Martin Charmin, Sheldon Harnick and Raymond Jessel. Although he often collaborated with a lyricist, there were also some works which he did solo namely "No Strings."
