Jerry Ross (composer)

Jerry Ross ( born March 9, 1926 in New York; † November 11, 1955 ibid; actually Jerold Rosenberg ) was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish Russian descent.

Life

Jerry Ross grew up in poverty. When he applied at the age of ten years at a Jewish theater troupe at the Bronx Art Theatre and was immediately engaged, he cherished the desire to someday become a great actor. Soon also revealed that the boy was extremely musically gifted. His first compositions were created already during his school days. After high school he attended the composition class at New York University.

Leading the way for Ross' career was the acquaintance and friendship with the subsequent three years older Richard Adler and the composer and publisher Frank Loesser. The latter realized what talents lay dormant in the two young men, and promoted them as best he could. Henceforth, composed and texteten Ross and Adler together. In 1953, they ended up with the song Rages To Riches their first big hit. The big time but scored the composer and author team in 1954 with his first musical The Pajama Game, which came on Broadway in his first season on 1063 performances and several Tony Awards reaped. The piece was still running successfully, as Ross and eagle are able to repeat a year later with her second musical Damn Yankees their sensational success. But that already ended both cooperation because Ross fell ill and died at the age of 29 from pneumonia.

1982 Jerry Ross was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters included Hall of Fame.