Burt Bacharach

Burt Bacharach (, born May 12, 1928 in Kansas City, Missouri) is an award-winning American pianist and composer. He is best known for his string of pop hits from 1962-69, co-written with Hal David and sung by Dionne Warwick.

Burt Bacharach

Biography

Bacharach studied music at McGill University and the Mannes School of Music. In the 1950s and the early 1960s he was the pianist, arranger and bandleader for Marlene Dietrich with whom he toured. He teamed with lyricist Hal David and others to write many popular songs in the 1960s and 1970s, that many people still enjoy listening to.

Bacharach's music has been sung by a number of popular singers including The Beatles,The Carpenters, Aretha Franklin, Jack Jones, Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield, Luther Vandross, Mr. Bungle, and The Drifters.He met Dionne Warwick, with whom he would form a famed collaboration. His songs are characterized by (1) the use of unexpected harmonic changes and (2) unusual rhythmic patterns and time signatures. He employs times such as 5/4 or 3/2, and frequently goes from one time signature to another in the same song, often after each measure. He also changes keys frequently. An excellent example of his style is "Promises, Promises", from his score to the musical of the same name. He has a total of 52 Top 40 hits. In addition, many of his songs were adapted by jazz artists of the time, such as Stan Getz and Wes Montgomery. The Bacharach-David composition "My Little Red Book", originally recorded by Manfred Mann for the film What's New, Pussycat, and promptly covered by Love in 1965, has become a rock standard. He composed and arranged the soundtrack of the 1967 film Casino Royale.
He has been married four times, to Paula Stewart (1953-1958), to actress Angie Dickinson (1965-1980), to lyricist Carole Bayer Sager (1982-1991) - with whom he collaborated on a number of pieces - and (since 1993) Jane Hanson. He has a total of four children, two girls and two boys.

In 1998 he collaborated on an album called Painted From Memory with singer/songwriter Elvis Costello. His 2005 album At This Time features collaborations with Costello, Rufus Wainwright, and Dr. Dre (who provides bass-and-drum loops). [1]

Bacharach has had cameo roles in a number of Hollywood movies including all three Austin Powers movies. His music is also credited as providing inspiration for these movies.

During subsequent Burt Bacharach concert tours, each show would open with a very brief video clip from the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, with Mike Myers (as Austin Powers) uttering "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Burt Bacharach".

Bacharach has appeared in a 2006 commercial for GEICO Insurance.

Legacy and influence

*Popular songwriter Jimmy Webb has acknowledged Bacharach's influence on his work.
*On Status Quo's album Heavy Traffic, Track number 8 is named "Diggin' Burt Bacharach".
*On the cover of Oasis' first album Definitely Maybe, there is a framed picture of Bacharach to the left resting up against the sofa.

Selected discography

* Hitmaker! Burt Bacharach Plays His Hits (1965)
* What's New Pussycat (Film Soundtrack) (1965)
* After the Fox (Film Soundtrack) (1966)
* Reach Out (1967)
* Casino Royale (Film Soundtrack) (1967)
* Make it Easy on Yourself (1969)
* Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Film Soundtrack) (1969)
* Promises, Promises[2] (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (1969)
* Burt Bacharach (1971)
* Lost Horizon (Film soundtrack) (1973)
* Burt Bacharach in Concert (1974)
* Living Together (1974)
* Futures (1977)
* Woman (1979)
* Arthur (Film soundtrack) (1981)
* Night Shift (Film soundtrack) (1982)
* Arthur 2: On The Rocks (Film soundtrack) (1988)
* One Amazing Night (1998)
* Painted From Memory with Elvis Costello (1998)
* Isley Meets Bacharach: Here I Am with Ronald Isley (2003)
* At This Time (2005)

Hits

*"The Story of My Life" (Marty Robbins, (US c&w no. 1, pop no. 15, 1957 - his first hit)
*"Magic Moments" (Perry Como, US no. 4 / UK no. 1, 1957/1958 - his first big pop hit)
*"The Blob" (The Five Blobs, 1958 with Mack David—brother of Hal David—from the movie The Blob)
*"Baby It's You" (The Shirelles, 1961, then The Beatles, 1963)
*"Any Day Now" (Chuck Jackson, 1962, then Ronnie Milsap, 1982)
*"(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" (Gene Pitney, 1962)
*"Only Love Can Break a Heart" (Gene Pitney, (1962)
*"Don't Make Me Over" (Dionne Warwick, 1962)
*"Make it Easy On Yourself" (Jerry Butler, 1962, then a UK no. 1 for the Walker Brothers, 1965)
*"Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" (Gene Pitney, 1963)
*"Blue on Blue" (Bobby Vinton, 1963)
*"(They Long To Be) Close To You" (Carpenters, 1971 and Gwen Guthrie 1987)
*"Anyone Who Had a Heart" (Dionne Warwick, 1963 and Luther Vandross in 1986)
*"Wives and Lovers" (Jack Jones, 1963). Grammy nominee Record of the Year and Song of the Year
*"Wishin' and Hoping" (Dionne Warwick, 1963, then Dusty Springfield, 1964)
*"Walk On By" (Dionne Warwick, 1964, then Isaac Hayes, 1970 and The Stranglers in 1978)
*"I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" (Dusty Springfield, (UK no. 3 hit, 1964, then The White Stripes, 2003)
*"(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" (Sandie Shaw, UK no. 1, 1964, then Naked Eyes, 1982)
*"A House Is Not a Home" (Brook Benton, 1963, Dionne Warwick, 1964, then Luther Vandross, (1981)
*"What the World Needs Now Is Love" (Jackie DeShannon, 1965 then Dionne Warwick,(1998)
*"What's New Pussycat?" (Tom Jones, 1965, from the film What's New, Pussycat?):This song was nominated for the Academy Award for Original Song in 1965.
*"Alfie" (Cilla Black, 1966, then Cher, 1966, then Dionne Warwick, 1967, originally from the movie of the same name):This song was nominated for the Academy Award for Original Song in 1966, and won Bacharach a Grammy for instrumental arrangement in 1967.
*"My Little Red Book" (Love, 1966)
*"I Say A Little Prayer (For You)" (Dionne Warwick, 1967, then Aretha Franklin, 1968)
*"The Look of Love" (Dusty Springfield, 1967, from the soundtrack of the movie Casino Royale, then Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66, 1968):This song was nominated for the Academy Award for Original Song in 1967.
*"One Less Bell to Answer" (Keely Smith, 1967, then The 5th Dimension, 1970)
*"This Guy's In Love With You" (Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, US no. 1, 1968):This song was covered by Oasis' Noel Gallagher in tribute to Bacharach on his 70th Birthday
*"Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" (Dionne Warwick, 1968)
*"Promises, Promises" (Jill O'Hara, 1968, and Dionne Warwick, 1968):The Broadway soundtrack won Bacharach a Grammy in 1969.
*"Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (B.J. Thomas, US no. 1, 1969, from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid):This song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1969. Bacharach also won the Academy Award and Grammy for Original Score for the movie. Grammy nominee Song of the Year
*"I'll Never Fall in Love Again" (Bobbie Gentry (UK no. 1,1969), then Dionne Warwick (1969), originally from the musical Promises, Promises). Grammy nominee Song of the Year [competed against himself in this category]
*"(They Long to Be) Close to You" (The Carpenters (US no. 1, 1970). Grammy nominee Record of the Year
*"Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)" (Christopher Cross, 1981, from the movie Arthur):This song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1981. Grammy nominee Record of the Year and Song of the Year
*"That's What Friends Are For" (1982):This song was originally written for the movie Night Shift and performed on the soundtrack by Rod Stewart. In 1986, a cover version by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and Elton John became an enormous hit, raising millions for AIDS charities. The song also won the Grammy for Song of the Year. Grammy nominee Record of the Year
*"On My Own" (Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald, 1986)

Complete Work for Broadway

Marlene Dietrich (1968) - concert - music arranger and conductor
Promises, Promises (1968) - musical - composer - Tony Nomination for Best Musical
André DeShield's Haarlem Nocturne (1984) - revue - featured songwriter
The Look of Love (2003) - revue - composer
The Boy from Oz (2003) - musical - additional composer

External links

*Burt Bacharach--interactive career timeline, concert photos, composer credits
*Biography
*Art of the States: Burt Bacharach
*Burt Bacharach Lyrics
*The Hitmaker Archive--a database of recordings of Burt Bacharach's songs
*[3] The Hitmaker Archive of recordings by Marlene Dietrich associated with Burt Bacharach's musical direction
*Burt Bacharach on Internet Broadway Database
*Rhinocasts Podcast interview with Ron Shapiro