Sheldon Harnick – Born in Chicago on April 30, 1924, Harnick is highly regarded as one of the best American lyricists. He is well-known for working together with songwriter Jerry Bock on several Broadway musicals such as
Fiddler on the Roof and
Fiorello! He started playing violin at a very young age and learnt about theater from his acting uncle. He began writing music in high school and graduated from the Northwestern University School of Music. After working with various orchestras in Chicago, he moved to New York and started developing his career as a songwriter. His first two successes were
New Faces and
Two’s Company in the early ‘50s. He began working with Jerry Bock in 1956. Their first musical
The Body Beautiful ran for only 60 performances. However, the next one,
Fiorello! ran for almost 800 performances and won the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1960. Other notable achievements for Sheldon Harnick includes three Tony Awards, including the
Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also awarded the University Of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award Of Merit, honored at the Twenty-Sixth Annual William Inge Theatre Festival. Together with Jerry Bock, they were presented with the 18
th Annual York Theatre Company’s prestigious Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre in 2009. On May 11
th Sheldon Harnick will add onto the list of achievements in becoming an Immortal Honoree with the Ride of Fame!
Jerry Bock – Born on November 23, 1928 is one of the most successful theater composers and lyricists of the ‘60s. He was a born musician – was able to play very advanced pieces of music by ear at his early age. He also started composing around the same time and wrote his first musical before starting high school. Bock made his Broadway debut in 1955 by contributing songs to
Catch a Star together with
Lawrence Holofcener where they worked together on two other musicals, too. Shortly after he met another lyricist in Sheldon Harnick and there began a successful partnership. Together they composed five Broadway shows in seven years including
Fiorello! which brought them the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Bock also received another Tony Award for Best Composer and Lyricist, for
Fiddler on the Roof and was nominated for few more. This great composer passed on November 3, 2010 at the age of 81. In the memory of Jerry Bock and his work, Ride of Fame will soon honor him as an Immortal Honoree of Ride of Fame on May 11
th.
