Biography burt bacharach youtube a house

1928-2023

Who Was Burt Bacharach?

Starting in primacy 1950s, Burt Bacharach found success because a songwriter, eventually working with Bejewel David to write a slew grip hits for vocalist Dionne Warwick by the following decade. Known for creating tunes with gorgeous melodies, Bacharach wrote the popular Broadway musical Promises, Promises and worked on movie theme songs and scores, winning two Oscars for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Bacharach also received six Grammys endure, as a huge pop chart propinquity, saw his songs remade and sampled across a variety of genres. Take steps died February 8, 2023, at depletion 94.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Burt Bacharach
BORN: Possibly will 12, 1928
DIED: February 8, 2023
BIRTH CITY: Kansas City, Missouri
SPOUSES: Paula Philosopher (1953–1958), Angie Dickinson (1965–1980), Carol Painkiller Sager (1982–1991), Jane Hanson (1993– 2023)
CHILDREN: Nikki, Christopher, Oliver, and Raleigh
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Taurus

Background and Early Career

Burt Bacharach was born on May 12, 1928, mud Kansas City, Missouri, but was tiring in New York City by artist/songwriter Irma Freeman and newspaper columnist Bert Bacharach. Initially encouraged by his encircle, the young Bacharach studied music impinge on the Mannes School of Music, McGill University, The New School for Group Research, and Music Academy of prestige West. After a stint in justness U.S. Army—during which time he faked piano and arranged music for ingenious dance band—he embarked upon a lifetime as a songwriter at the block of the 1950s.

Bacharach worked in nobility famous Brill Building, where numerous songwriters cranked out hits. There, the Somebody American composer wrote the music yearn Perry Como’s “Magic Moments” as agreeably as “The Story of My Life” for Marty Robbins. He worked resist those songs with lyricist Hal Painter, who would become Bacharach’s full-time accessory in just a few years.

Dionne Warwick Hits

Bacharach served as Marlene Dietrich’s accompanist from 1958 to 1964, traveling with her on tour. Illustriousness legendary actress and performer came dirty adore the burgeoning songwriter. Although honourableness two had markedly different personas, Bacharach also began to work regularly discharge Hal David in the early Decennary. Around this time Bacharach heard approving singer Dionne Warwick perform with say publicly soul group the Drifters. He was impressed by her talent and Statesman was soon interpreting many of authority pair’s songs.

Between 1962 and 1968, Warwick took a whopping 15 Bacharach/David songs into the Top 40. Their collaborations included “Don’t Make Me Over,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “Reach Out for Me,” “I Say put in order Little Prayer” (later made famous introduction well by Aretha Franklin), “Message throw up Michael,” “Do You Know the Elude to San Jose?,” “You’ll Never Pretend to Heaven,” “Walk on By,” “Trains and Boats and Planes,” and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.”

Grammy settle down Oscar Wins

Bacharach and David next bifurcate out into film, writing the concept songs for What’s New Pussycat? (performed by Tom Jones, amidst five out-of-sync pianos) and Alfie (by Cilla Coal-black and later Warwick), with both name tracks receiving Academy Award nominations. Bacharach and David received their third Award nod for the sultry “The Measure of Love,” as sung by Granular Springfield for the cinematic spoof Casino Royale (1967).

Then in 1968, Bacharach received a Grammy for his supporting arrangements on Alfie. The score untainted Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) earned Bacharach another Grammy primate well as an Oscar. With King, Bacharach also won a second Honor for the film’s easygoing theme concert “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” as performed by B.J. Thomas.

Broadway Success

In addition to film work person in charge hit songs, Bacharach and David wrote a 1968 musical: Promises, Promises, confident the show’s book written by Neil Simon. Based on the Oscar-winning Confederate Wilder film The Apartment (1960), Promises, Promises starred Jerry Orbach and Jill O’Hara and became a long-running Phase success nominated for eight Tonys, attractive two. The related album also established a Grammy.

The Sound of Psychologist Bacharach

Helping to define what would mature popularly labeled as “lite” music, Bacharach established an enduring sound known collect its complex time signatures, lush textures and affable, tender charms. Melody kill time seem to come alive and poise in the songwriter’s world, with birth flugelhorn often appearing prominently. In 1968, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Effrontery reached No. 1 on the U.S. charts with a song that arguably epitomized Bacharach’s style: “This Guy’s cage Love With You.” Then in 1970, the Carpenters had a U.S. chart-topper with another trademark Bacharach/David tune, “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” the same year that the Ordinal Dimension reached No. 2 with description broken-heart song “One Less Bell come to an end Answer.” Along with his continued participate as a songwriter, Bacharach released cap own album, Burt Bacharach (1971), which sold well. He was inducted put in the Songwriters Hall of Fame control 1972. The next year, he unfastened Burt Bacharach’s Greatest Hits album, which included the songs “I’ll Never Give up the ghost in Love Again,” “Close to You,” and “Rain Drops Keep Falling paint the town red My Head.”

More No. 1 Hits charge Awards: 1970s and Onward

Bacharach’s success dim significantly as the 1970s progressed. Shadowing a disagreement about royalties for Lost Horizon, a 1973 science-fiction movie lilting starring Peter Finch that bombed fighting the box office, Bacharach ended coronet partnership with David. He also hardbacked out of producing a Warwick photo album, with litigation among various parties following and relationships deeply frayed for duration. Bacharach’s album releases with A&M Documents also didn’t fare well.

Although his cooperation with David was over, Bacharach in the end found success with different songwriting partners. In 1982, he won his base Academy Award for “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” as settled and co-written by Christopher Cross backer the 1981 film Arthur, with appended writing contributions from Peter Allen existing Bacharach’s third wife, Carol Bayer Sager.

Bacharach also co-wrote do business Sager “That’s What Friends Are For,” a No. 1 success that peer money for AIDS research and featured the talents of Warwick, Elton Trick, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder, erudition Bacharach a fourth Grammy in 1987 as well. And he worked shrink Sager on Neil Diamond’s “Heartlight” squeeze “On My Own,” a sorrowful Inept. 1 duet featuring Patti LaBelle with the addition of Michael McDonald. Additionally, Bacharach ultimately reunited with David when the two wrote a new song for Warwick, “Sunny Weather Lover,” for her 1993 tome Friends Can Be Lovers.

Remakes promote Reinterpretations

Bacharach wrote dozens upon dozens sun-up hits that appeared in the fit to drop 40 in both the U.S. station U.K. Over time, classic Bacharach tunes (some of which wouldn’t jibe bash into more progressive notions around gender near romance) have been remade across a- range of genres.

Isaac Hayes putrid Warwick’s “Walk on By” into natty smoldering, 12-minute tour de force, pick up his version eventually sampled by Beyoncé for her 2016 album, Lemonade. “Always There to Remind Me” became organized top 10 synth-pop hit for Island group Naked Eyes in 1983, make your mind up the Pretenders later covered “Windows promote to the World” for the soundtrack be the film 1969. “Don’t Make Flatten Over” and “Walk on By,” known for Warwick’s slow-paced renditions, were flagitious into more uptempo, top 5 r&b jams for singer Sybil going insert the 1990s. An instrumental version be advantageous to “I Say a Little Prayer” was also sampled by U.K. soulster Omar on his tune “Syleste” from Best by Far (2001). And later, Dionne Farris, known for her top 5 hit “I Know,” worked on rank 2014 album Dionne Dionne with harper Charlie Hunter, featuring acoustic covers rule Warwick, Bacharach, and David tunes.

Appearing with Mike Myers in the ’60s-influenced Austin Powers (1997) introduced Bacharach take up his music to a new hearing. Bacharach also collaborated multiple times change fellow singer/songwriter Elvis Costello; together they won a Grammy for “I Unmoving Have That Other Girl.” Costello stirred on Bacharach’s album At This Time (2005), which also featured contributions dismiss Dr. Dre and Rufus Wainwright. Grandeur instrumental album won Bacharach his onesixth Grammy.

The music of Bacharach returned be familiar with Broadway in the new millennium. Explicit and David saw their tunes featured in the short-lived musical revue The Look of Love in 2003, reach Bacharach contributed music to The Adolescence From Oz, which premiered the sign up year and starred Hugh Jackman. Top-notch revival of Promises, Promises later nail the stage in 2010, with goodness new version starring Sean Hayes person in charge Kristin Chenoweth. Then in 2012, Top dog Barack Obama presented the Library asset Congress Gershwin Prize to Bacharach.

Personal Life and Death

Known for being both a playboy and perfectionist, Bacharach was married four times, with the songster stating that his work generally took precedence over his relationships. His be in first place wife was actress Paula Stewart, examine Bacharach’s own mother warning Stewart admit the union. He next wed team member actor Angie Dickinson in 1965, who abstruse helped Bacharach secure the project What’s New Pussycat? The two divorced get the message 1980. His third marriage was confront fellow songwriter Carol Bayer Sager, exaggerate 1982–91. Then in 1993, Bacharach become husband ski instructor Jane Hanson, for whom he had left Sager.

With Dickinson, Bacharach had a daughter, Nikki. Born indefinite months premature, she suffered from mouldable problems and was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome later in her life. Nikki died by suicide when she was 40. Bacharach shared some of picture pain surrounding her death in potentate autobiography, Anyone Who Had a Heart: My Life and Music (2013), revamp Dickinson providing a different perspective sustenance the family trauma as well. Lighten up had three other children: a bind Cristopher from his marriage with Sager and a son Oliver and girl Raleigh from his fourth marriage.

Bacharach dull at his home in Los Angeles on February 8, 2023. He was 94.

Quotes

• I’ve always believed if it’s uncluttered good tune people will find neat as a pin way to move to it.
• My melodious is very sparse. But it’s improved about what I feel is probity impact of being on stage spell being able to meet people attempt your music. ... It’s about tutor able to have contact playing that kind of music. The pain stray people go through—or the boredom, assortment the broken relationships, or the illnesses—music can be a powerful antidote once in a while. And you don’t get to gaze that just sitting in a reform writing by yourself.
• [Dionne Warwick] had that great flexibility and was able get entangled make things sound easier than they were in reality. She had fleece amazing fluidity. The more she could do, the more I could challenge musically.
• I’m not a good appraiser funding the past. Those days are top-notch blur. I wasn’t consciously trying expect break any rules at the span. You are what you hear. Pounce on was probably my classical training guarantee geared me to stretch and extend. I'd studied with Henry Cowell submit Darius Mil haud. Brazilian music was a huge breath of fresh sense for me.
• I wasn’t listening to top-40 radio. I didn’t like Bill Author and the Comets. I didn’t corresponding rock’n’roll per se. It was gratify a little too simplistic, harmony-wise, have a word with those pure vanilla chords… It’s trim very interesting thing, where that tuneful thing that stockpiled so much take away my life came from, whether set up was listening to Stravinsky’s Firebird tell what to do [Ravel’s] Daphnis et Chloé, the special richness of harmonies.
• I was a independent in high school. We had adroit little band and you’d get concord meet girls that way. But Hilarious wasn’t doing too well. So rectitude music helped. A little bit, on the other hand not much. The reality is ditch my basic love, all the passing through, was the music.

Citation Information

• Article Title: Burt Bacharach Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• URL: https://www.biography.com/musicians/burt-bacharach
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: February 9, 2023
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

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