Jerry Ross (composer)
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Jerry Ross (1926 - November 11, 1955) was an American lyricist and composer whose works for the musical theater include Damn Yankees and The Pajama Game, both of which achieved major success during the Golden Age of Broadway. With Richard Adler, Ross was half of the songwriting team of Adler and Ross.
He was born Jerold Rosenberg on March 9, 1926, to Russian immigrant parents, Lena and Jacob Rosenberg, in the Bronx, New York City. Growing up, he was a professional singer and actor in the flourishing Yiddish theater branch of the musical theater industry, and was billed as the “Boy Star.”
Following High School he studied at New York University under Rudolph Schramm, and was introduced to musician Eddie Fisher and others, developing connections at the Brill Building, at the time the center of songwriting activity in New York. Fisher recorded Ross’ “The Newspaper Song,” to critical acclaim.
Ross met Richard Adler in 1950, and as a duo they became proteges of writer/publisher Frank Loesser. Their song "Rags to Riches" was recorded by Tony Bennett and reached number 1 on the charts in 1953.
Ross began his career in the Broadway Theater with “John Murray Anderson’s Almanac,” a revue for which he and Adler wrote most of the songs (resulting in recordings of “Acorn in the Meadow” by Harry Belafonte and “Fini” by Polly Bergen).
In 1953, Adler and Ross wrote the songs and score for “The Pajama Game”, winning the coveted Tony Award for best score, as well as the Donaldson Award and the Variety Drama Critics Award. Songs from the show included "Hernando’s Hideaway" and "Hey There" (a hit for Rosemary Clooney), both of which also topped the Hit Parade, the Bob Fosse dance number “Steam Heat,” “Small Talk,” and “Seven And A Half Cents.”
In May 1955, their musical "Damn Yankees" won the Tony Award, the Donaldson Award, and the Variety Drama Critics Award, plus cross-over hits for "You've Gotta Have Heart," which Eddie Fisher recorded and "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets."
Both shows ran on Broadway for over 1000 performances.
Ross died from complications related to the lung disease bronchiectasis on November 11th, 1955. He was 29.
At the time he died, Jerry Ross had written the number one and number two shows running on Broadway. He had written more than 250 popular American songs. His untimely death at such a young age cut short a creative force that was sure to be as popular and enduring as his songs.
Jerry Ross was admitted posthumously to the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 1982. His wife, Judy, and daughter, Janie, accepted the award in his honor.