The son of amateur musicians, Adam Schlesinger has been performing in one band or another since his high school days. While attending Williams College, he met Chris Collingwood, with whom he would play guitar. After stints in other bands (including Belltower and Ivy, of which he still remains a member), Schlesinger joined with Collingwood to form Fountains of Wayne. Their self-titled debut album, which featured strong melodies in the 1960s pop style offset by knowing lyrics, was released in 1996.
In the meantime, Schlesinger had begun to become established in TV, providing music for the short-lived John Leguizamo series "House of Buggin'" (Fox, 1995), Hazelle Goodman's HBO comedy special (1995) and the short-lived "The Dana Carvey Show" (ABC, 1996). The songwriter contributed three tunes to the soundtrack of Tom Hanks' "That Thing You Do!" (1996), including the bouncy and infectious title tune. Written in the style of the 60s hits, with influences of groups like the Beatles and the Beach Boys, the ditty, which held up to repeated listenings, earned Schlesinger an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
Family
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Father: Stephen Schlesinger.
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Mother: Bobbi Schlesinger.
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Sister: Laurie Schlesinger. Born c. 1972
Education
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Williams College, Williamstown, MA, BA, 1989
Milestones
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1993 Joined the rock band Ivy by answering an advertisement in the Village Voice for a bassist
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1995 Formed the rock band Fountains of Wayne with Collingwood
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1995 Provided original music for the John Leguizamo series House of Buggin (Fox)
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1996 Contributed three songs to the soundtrack of Tom Hanks That Thing You Do! ; received an Oscar nomination for Best Song
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1996 Served as composer for the short-lived The Dana Carvey Show (ABC)
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1999 Served as album associate producer for the soundtrack album to Woody Allen s Sweet and Lowdown
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2001 Contributed songs to the soundtrack of Josie and the Pussycats
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2003 Fountains of Wayne was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Pop Performance
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2007 Composed and produced several original songs for the film, Music and Lyrics starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore
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2008 Co-wrote (with David Javerbaum) the songs for the musical theater adaptation of the John Waters film Cry-Baby ; earned a Tony award nomination for Best Original Score
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Co-formed Scratchie Records with D Arcy Wretsky and James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins
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Met future collaborator Chris Collingwood at Williams College
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Played with the band Belltower
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Raised in Montclair, New Jersey