Jerry Bock

Jerry Bock
Born	Jerrold Lewis Bock (1928-11-23)November 23, 1928 New Haven, Connecticut,U.S.
Died	November 3, 2010(2010-11-03)(aged 81) Mount Kisco, New York,U.S.
Education	University of Wisconsin, Madison(BA)
Occupation	Composer
Years active	1955–2010

Jerrold Lewis Bock(November 23, 1928 – November 3, 2010) was an Americanmusical theatercomposer. He received theTony Award for Best Musicaland thePulitzer Prize for DramawithSheldon Harnickfor their 1959 musicalFiorello!and the Tony Award for Best Composer and Lyricist for the 1964 musicalFiddler on the Roofwith Sheldon Harnick.

Biography

Born into a Jewish family inNew Haven, Connecticut,and raised inFlushing, Queens,New York,Bock studied thepianoas a child. While a student at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison,he wrote the musicalBig As Life,which toured the state and enjoyed a run inChicago.After graduation, he spent three summers at the Tamiment Playhouse in thePoconosand wrote for earlytelevisionrevues with lyricistLarry Holofcener.One of their songs, the three-part "The Story of Alice," was performed by theChad Mitchell Trioon theirBlowin' in the Windalbum of 1962.

Career

Bock made hisBroadwaydebut in 1955 when he andLawrence Holofcenercontributed songs toCatch a Star.The following year the duo collaborated on the musicalMr. Wonderful,designed forSammy Davis Jr.,after which they worked onZiegfeld Follies of 1956,which closed out-of-town.

Shortly after, Bock met lyricistSheldon Harnick,with whom he forged a successful partnership. Although their first joint venture,The Body Beautiful,failed to charm the critics, its score caught the attention of directorGeorge Abbottand producerHal Prince.They hired the team to compose a musical biography of formerNew York CitymayorFiorello La Guardia.Fiorello!(1959) earned Bock and Harnick theNew York Drama Critics' Circle Awardfor Best Musical, Tony Award for Best Musical (tied with the team fromThe Sound of Music) and thePulitzer Prize for Drama.

Bock's additional collaborations with Harnick includeTenderloin(1960),Man in the Moon(1963),She Loves Me(1963),Fiddler on the Roof(1964),The Apple Tree(1966), andThe Rothschilds(1970), as well as contributions toNever Too Late(1962),Baker Street(1965),Her First Roman(1968), andThe Madwoman of Central Park West(1979).Fiddler on the Roofincluded the hit song "If I Were a Rich Man".

Established in 1997, the Jerry Bock Award for Excellence in Musical Theater is an annual grant presented to the composer and lyricist of a project developed in theBMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop.

Bock spoke at the funeral of 98-year-old Fiddler playwrightJoseph Steinjust 10 days before his own death, from heart failure at 81, less than three weeks before his 82nd birthday.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
1960	New York Drama Critics' Circle Award	Best Musical	Fiorello!	Won
	Tony Award	Best Musical	Won
	Pulitzer Prize	Drama	Won
1964	Grammy Award	Best Score from an Original Cast Show Album	She Loves Me	Won
1965	Tony Award	Best Composer and Lyricist	Fiddler on the Roof	Won
	New York Drama Critics' Circle Award	Best Musical		Won
1967	Tony Award	Best Composer and Lyricist	The Apple Tree	Nominated
1971		Best Original Score	The Rothschilds	Nominated
2010	Daytime Emmy Award	Outstanding Original Song - Children's and Animation	Wonder Pets!	Won

External links

• Jerry Bockat theInternet Broadway Database
• Jerry Bockat theInternet Off-Broadway Database
• Jerry BockatIMDb
• Jerry Bock papersin theMusic DivisionofThe New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
• PBS biography
• Songwriters Hall of Fame biography
• TonyAwards Interview with Jerry Bock