Charles Louis Strouse, a native of theUpper West Side ofManhattan, New York City, was born on June 7, 1928, to Jewish parents, Ethel (née Newman) and Ira Strouse, who worked in the tobacco business.[1] His parents suffered from physical and mental health issues, and the family found respite from their troubles when they would sing songs together at the piano, which his mother played.[1] He graduated from theEastman School of Music, where he studied underArthur Berger,David Diamond,Aaron Copland, andNadia Boulanger.[2][3] He had initially aspired to a career in classical music, but Boulanger assured him that his talent for "light music" was valuable, saying "to make someone forget illness and suffering is also a calling.”[1] His rare, happy childhood memories later inspired the credit sequence of“All in the Family,” in whichCarroll O’Connor andJean Stapleton sit at the piano, singing together.[1]
Strouse began a collaboration withLee Adams in 1952, and they had written songs together for several years by the time their firstBroadway musical,Bye Bye Birdie, opened in 1960.[1][4] For this show, Strouse won his firstTony Award in the category of best musical.[5]
Strouse also wrote musicalrevues, many with Adams, and his songs were included in revues. The revues includedShoestring Revue (with Adams and Michael Stewart) (1955 – Off–Broadway),[13]Medium Rare (with Adams) (1960 – Chicago),[14]By Strouse (1978 – Off–Broadway at The Ballroom),[14][15]Upstairs At O'Neals (1982 – Nightclub Revue),[16]Can't Stop Dancin (1994 – Marymount Theatre), andA Lot Of Living! (1996 – conceived and directed by Barbara Siman at Rainbow and Stars).[17]
Strouse wrote the music and lyrics for the animated specialLyle, Lyle Crocodile which aired onHBO in 1987.[18] His film scores includeBonnie and Clyde (1967),There Was a Crooked Man... (1970, withHenry Fonda andKirk Douglas), theNorman Lear production ofThe Night They Raided Minsky's (1968, with Adams), and the popular animated movieAll Dogs Go to Heaven (1989). He and Adams also wrote the theme song “Those Were the Days”[19] for the Norman Lear television showAll in the Family. Additionally, the title sequence, ofArchie andEdith Bunker performing the tune at their piano, was inspired by Strouse's childhood memories of playing music with his parents at home.[1] Strouse's songs have been heard on the radio throughout his career and have run the gamut from girl-band pop to hip hop. In 1958, his song “Born Too Late” was number seven on the Billboard charts, and in 1999 the quadruple platinumHard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) by artistJay-Z (which sampled "It's The Hard Knock Life" fromAnnie) was the winner of theGrammy for Best Rap Album of the year and theBillboardR&B Album of the Year.
Strouse's writing also extended into his original interest of orchestral works, chamber music, piano concertos, and opera. HisConcerto America, composed in 2002 to remember9/11 and the spirit of New York City, premiered at TheBoston Pops in 2002,[20] and his operaNightingale (1982), starringSarah Brightman, had a successful run in London, followed by many subsequent productions. In 1979, Strouse founded theASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop in New York, through which many young composers and lyricists have found a forum for their work.[1]
Strouse was married to director-choreographer Barbara Siman until her death on February 16, 2023.[26] They had four children.[27]
Strouse described himself as aJewish atheist, and said that after his sister died young from breast cancer, he no longer believed in God.[12]He received the Emperor Has No Clothes Award at theFreedom From Religion Foundation's 34th annual national convention on October 8, 2011. The award is "reserved for public figures who make known their dissent from religion".[28]
Strouse died at his Manhattan home on May 15, 2025, at the age of 96.[1][29] At the time of his death, he was the sole remaining member of the team that produced Annie, following Meehan's death in 2017, and Charnin's death in 2019.
^Suskin, Steven (2010).Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. p. 285.ISBN978-0-19-531407-6.
