Recently I had the honor of introducing Doriot Anthony Dwyer at the Rochester Music Hall of Fame Awards. For 38 years Doriot played principal flute for the Boston Symphony. At the age of  90, she's still got a great sense of humor and she's still got chops, enough to perform a piece by Darius Milhaud. If you'd like to know more about Doriot, see my profile of her. And yes, her second cousin was Susan B. Anthony!

I met other honorees while I was there. One was Chuck Mangione, and since I'm a professional trumpeter, that was a big thrill. Great guy, and he's still got chops, too!  But another honoree is the man I'm blogging about. You may not recognize the name Charles Strouse, but I'll bet you know Annie, one of the most beloved musicals of all time. This Grammy and Tony Award-winning composer also wrote the music for Bye Bye Birdie and Applause. He also wrote the theme song for the Archie Bunker Show and much much more. 

When we met, I mentioned that I had played Annie at the Colonial Theater in Boston, and needless to say we hit it off immediately. But here's the best part. When I told him about my novels, he said that he had written a memoir: Put On A Happy Face. Check it out! The book is just as delightful as Charles is, and you'll learn everything you wanted to know about Broadway Musicals and back stage shenanigans.