Charlie Smalls

Charlie Smalls
Born	25 October 1943(1943-10-25)
Died	27 August 1987(1987-08-27) (aged 43)
Occupation	Composer, songwriter,
Awards	Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics 1974: The Wiz Best Original Score 1975: The Wiz

Charlie Smalls (October 25, 1943 in Queens, New York – August 27, 1987 in Belgium) was an African-American composer and songwriter, best known for writing the music for the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz.

A musical prodigy, Smalls attended the Juilliard School at age eleven in 1954, staying until 1961. ^[1] In 1968, he appeared on the "Some Like It Lukewarm" episode of The Monkees (episode #56, original airdate March 4, 1968), chatting at a piano with singer Davy Jones. ^[2] He wrote a song for John Cassavetes's 1968 film Faces called "Never Felt Like This Before". He also wrote the score for the 1976 film, Drum. He also wrote the song "From Me To You" for the Hugh Masekela 1966 albumHugh Masekela's Next Album.^[3]

After graduating from the High School of Performing Arts, Smalls toured as a member of the New York Jazz Repertory Company before beginning work on The Wiz. An African-American retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Wiz was adapted into a feature film, starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, by Motown Productions and Universal Pictures in 1978.

Smalls won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Score for his work on The Wiz. ^[4] He died at age forty-three in Belgium, during emergency surgery to repair a burst appendix. He is survived by his son Michael.^[5]

At the time of his death, Smalls was working on a new musical. He had begun working on Miracles, a musical adaption of The Man Who Could Work Miracles by H.G. Wells. He had recorded some songs with Geoffrey Holder and The Harlem Boys Choir.^[6]

References

1. ^ Aufderheide, Jeremy (2007). "Creators: Charlie Smalls". The Wiz: A Virtual Coffee Table Book. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
2. ^ Sandoval, Andrew (2005). The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the '60s TV Pop Sensation, p178 (ISBN 1-59223-372-4).
3. ^ http://www.discogs.com/Original-Broadway-Cast-Of-The-Boys-In-The-Band-Mart-Crowleys-The-Boys-In-The-Band-The-Original-Broad/release/1773445
4. ^ Search for "Charlie Smalls" at "Past Winners Search". The American Theater Wing's Tony Awards. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
5. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/04/obituaries/charlie-smalls-is-dead-composer-of-the-wiz.html
6. ^ http://www.thewizthemusical.com/creators/smalls.php

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