Burt Bacharach, an influential figure in American popular music for fifty years as a songwriter, composer, producer, and arranger, passed away on Wednesday in Los Angeles from natural causes. He was 94. On Thursday, Tina Brausam, a spokesman for Bacharach, made the announcement.
Bacharach was a very skilled musician with classical training. Growing up in Queens, New York, his father was a columnist, and his mother played the piano. She insisted that he play the piano, cello, and drums. The adolescent Bacharach sneaked into jazz bars as a teenager to see Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie perform.
Between 1967 and 2005, as a performer, arranger, and writer, Bacharach won six Grammys. He received awards from the Academy and the Golden Globes for “Arthur” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969). (1981). He won an Emmy in 1971 for a TV performance of his work. The Bacharach-David song “Promises, Promises” received a Tony nomination for best musical in 1968 after 1,281 performances.
“Alfie,” “Walk on By,” “Promises, Promises,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “What the World Needs Now is Love,” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” are just a few of the 52 top 40 singles produced by this musical genius. In the 1960s and 1970s, Bacharach enjoyed an unmatched streak with a variety of pop, R&B, and soul performers.
In addition, Bacharach shared the Oscar for Best Song with Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Allen, and performer Christopher Cross for “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do).” Three additional Bacharach compositions garnered Oscar nominations: “What’s New Pussycat?” (From the 1965 film of the same name), “Alfie,” and “The Look of Love” (from Casino Royale, 1967)
His compositions, many of which he co-wrote with lyricist Hal David, rose to the top of the charts, notably when vocalist Dionne Warwick performed them. Darius Milhaud, a well-known classical musician, was his teacher. Bacharach was encouraged by Milhaud to pursue the genre of music he felt obliged to compose. His teacher would tell Bacharach, “Never be ashamed of something that is melodic, that one could whistle.”
Burt was married to lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, 1981-92. He is survived by his wife Jane and his three children.
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