Photo Coverage: Strouse Celebrates Book Release and 80th Bday!

By: Peter James Zielinski Jun. 18, 2008

On Monday June 16th at the 21 Club there was a cocktail reception celebrating Charles Strouse, his 80th birthday, his 50-year career and the launch of his new book, Put on a Happy Face: A Broadway Memoir. The evening included a musical tribute, the reading of a proclamation from the city of New York, and a performance by Strouse from behind the piano.

On June 7, 2008, Charles Strouse, the award winning composer of Annie, Bye Bye Birdie and some of the most popular music from the last 50 years of Broadway, film and television, turned 80.To mark the occasion, a year-long celebration of events including concerts, international tributes, revivals of popular favorites and premieres of new works will take place across the United States and around the world.The music of Charles Strouse has touched the life of almost every American in the last half century.There may be no other living composer from America's popular songbook whose work is as integrated into the popular culture as that of Charles Strouse.His music has attracted top recording artists from the last half-century with covers of his songs recorded by such diverse pop artists as Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby Rydell, Jay Z, Vic Damone, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Grace Jones and Duke Ellington and his Orchestra.Strouse has written the score to over 30 stage musicals, 14 scores for Broadway, four Hollywood films, two orchestral works and an opera.He has been inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Theatre Hall of Fame.

He is a three-time Tony Award winner, a two-time Emmy Award winner, and his cast recordings have earned him two Grammy Awards.His song "Those Were The Days" launched over 200 episodes of the "All in the Family" and continues to reach new generations of television audiences in syndication.With hundreds of productions licensed annually, his musicals Annie and Bye Bye Birdie are among the most popular musicals of all time produced by regional, amateur and school groups all over the world. Strouse's memoir, Put on a Happy Face – A Broadway Memoir, is published by Sterling Publishing and will be available in stores everywhere July 1, 2008.

Photos by Peter James Zielinski

Happy Birthday Charles Strouse!