Adam Schlesinger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adam Schlesinger
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Schlesinger performing in 2009
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Adam Lyons Schlesinger
October 31, 1967 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | April 1, 2020 (aged 52) Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Complications from COVID-19 |
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| Years active | 1989–2020 |
| Relatives | Jon Bernthal (cousin) Tom Bernthal (cousin) Murray Bernthal (grandfather) |
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Adam Lyons Schlesinger (October 31, 1967 – April 1, 2020) was an American musician, songwriter, and composer. He was also a record producer. Adam was a founding member of several bands, including Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, and Tinted Windows. He also helped write and produce songs for the synth-pop duo Fever High.
Adam Schlesinger wrote many songs for TV shows and movies. He won three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award for his work. He was also nominated for other big awards like the Oscars, Tonys, and Golden Globe Awards.
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Adam's Early Life
Adam Schlesinger was born in New York City on October 31, 1967. His mother was Barbara and his father was Stephen. He grew up in New York City and Montclair, New Jersey.
Adam went to Montclair High School. Later, he studied philosophy at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. His cousin is the actor Jon Bernthal. His grandfather, Murray Bernthal, was also a musician.
Adam's Songwriting Work
Adam Schlesinger was a very busy songwriter. He wrote music for many different projects.
Songs for Movies
Adam wrote the famous song "That Thing You Do!" for the movie of the same name. He also helped produce it. He wrote "Master of the Seas" for the movie Ice Age: Continental Drift. This song was sung by Jennifer Lopez and Peter Dinklage.
He wrote three songs for the movie Music and Lyrics. His music was also used in many other films, such as:
- Shallow Hal
- Robots
- There's Something About Mary
- Josie and the Pussycats
- Scary Movie
Songs for Other Singers
Adam wrote songs for many different artists. Some of these include:
- "Our Own World" for The Monkees
- "Just the Girl" for The Click Five
- "Everybody Loves Music" for Nicki Minaj
- "High School Never Ends" with Bowling for Soup
- "I Am What I Am" for the Jonas Brothers
- "Hackensack" (a Fountains of Wayne song) was covered by Katy Perry
- "Perfect Night" by Sarah Silverman
- Songs for Emily Osment like "1-800 Clap Your Hands"
- "Work to Do" for America
- Eight songs for Stephen Colbert's TV special A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!
- Songs for Fever High like "Tantalized"
Music for Theatre Shows
Adam Schlesinger also wrote music for plays and musicals. He worked with David Javerbaum on the musical Cry-Baby. This show was based on a movie by John Waters. Cry-Baby opened on Broadway in 2008.
Adam and David also wrote the song "I Have Faith in You" for the play An Act of God. This song was performed by Jim Parsons.
Adam was working on a musical called The Bedwetter with Sarah Silverman. It was based on her book. He was also planning to write music for a stage version of the TV show The Nanny.
Songs for Television Shows
Adam Schlesinger wrote many songs for TV. He and David Javerbaum wrote opening songs for the Tony Awards ceremonies in 2011 and 2012. These were performed by Neil Patrick Harris. They also wrote songs for the Emmy Awards in 2011 and 2013.
Adam's TV work included theme music and songs for:
- I Love You, America
- The Maya Rudolph Show
- Big Time Rush
- T.U.F.F. Puppy
- Good Luck Charlie
- The Fresh Beat Band
- Bubble Guppies
- Sesame Street
- Saturday Night Live
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend – he wrote songs and was a music producer for this show.
Adam's Production Work
Adam Schlesinger was also a record producer. This means he helped artists record their music. He worked with many bands and singers, including:
- The Monkees
- Fever High
- Dashboard Confessional
- America
- They Might Be Giants
- Fastball
He also produced five albums for his band Fountains of Wayne and six albums for his band Ivy.
Other Music Projects
Adam was part of a band called Tinted Windows. The band included James Iha (from The Smashing Pumpkins), Taylor Hanson (from Hanson), and Bun E. Carlos (from Cheap Trick). They recorded and toured in 2009 and 2010.
He was also the main composer and producer for the synth-pop duo Fever High.
Awards and Nominations
Adam Schlesinger was recognized for his amazing work with many awards and nominations.
- In 1997, he was nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar) and a Golden Globe Award for writing the song "That Thing You Do!".
- His band Fountains of Wayne was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2003. One was for Best New Artist and the other for their song "Stacy's Mom".
- Adam and David Javerbaum were nominated for two Tony Awards in 2008 for their musical Cry-Baby.
- They also won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album in 2009 for A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!.
- Adam won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Music And Lyrics. One was in 2012 for "It's Not Just for Gays Anymore" (from the Tony Awards). The other was in 2013 for "If I Had Time" (also from the Tony Awards).
- He received Emmy nominations in 2016 and 2019 for his work on the TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
Adam's Family Life
On January 30, 1999, Adam Schlesinger married Katherine Michel. She is a graphic designer. They met in 1996. They later divorced in 2013. Adam and Katherine had two daughters, Sadie and Claire.
His Passing and Tributes
Adam Schlesinger passed away on April 1, 2020, at the age of 52. He had been in the hospital for over a week.
After his passing, a special album called Saving for a Custom Van was released in his memory. It came out on June 16, 2020. The album has 31 songs, which are covers of songs Adam wrote or performed. Artists like Kay Hanley and Ben Lee sang on it. All the money from the album went to a fund that helps musicians.
The cast and crew of the movie That Thing You Do! also got together online to remember Adam.
The 2021 TV show Johnny Test was dedicated to Adam Schlesinger.
See also
In Spanish: Adam Schlesinger para niños
