Richard Lee "Shtix" Adelman was born in Brookline, MA on October 13, 1946 to Dr. Norman and Mrs. Ruth Lewitus Adelman.



He started playing drums at age 8 and studied under several Boston-area teachers, including percussion legend George Stone. A staple of the Boston music scene from a young age, Richard Lee Adelman went on to play in bands with music greats including Donna Summer, Jonathan Edwards, Rita Coolidge, the Hues Corporation, Martin Mull, and Billy Vera and the Beaters.



Richard Adelman's role as Donna Summer’s drummer on her album 'Live and More' earned him a Platinum Record and his role on Jonathan Edwards's hit single Sunshine earned him a Gold Record.



While Richard was at Brookline High School, he met the love of his life, Janice Sokoloski, a Saint Mary’s Catholic School girl with a soft spot for the Jewish drummer at her high school dance. Despite the social and religious prejudices against such relationships in the early 1960’s, the two formed a life-long bond and went on to marry and raise a family together. The strength of that bond endured through significant hardship over the years, including an automobile accident in 1985 that left Richard quadriplegic and ended his career as a touring musician overnight. Richard remained active in the music scene following this accident, including as a performer and as an advocate for disabled musicians.



Richard Lee Adelman died peacefully of natural causes on April 1, 2012 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.