He is a composer whose songwriting style and mix of jazz, soul, and bossa nova made him a major in contemporary pop music. Burt Bacharach, with a four-decade track record of hits, was a major composer of pop music. He is almost as important as Irving Berlin or George Gershwin. His breezy, sophisticated productions borrowed from soul, Brazilian bossa Nova, cool jazz, and traditional pop to undoubtedly redefine and transcend the stale forms of Brill Building adult music during the 1960s. He was born May 12, 1928 in Kansas City. As a child he learned cello, drums and piano and was later transferred to New York City by the syndicated columnist father. He was able to sneak into New York clubs to see his bebop idols Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and other jazz musicians during the 1940s. Bacharach studied composition and music theory at the Mannes School, New York, Berkshire Music Center and the New School for Social Research (with Darius Milhaud), in Montreal, McGill University and at the Music Academy of the West, Santa Barbara, CA. Bacharach was stationed in the Army for a time, which interrupted his music studies. However, he continued to play piano in a dance band even though he was in Canada. He was also a nightclub performer and supported Steve Lawrence, Paula Stewart, and the Ames Brothers. Bacharach was released in 1952 and married Stewart the 22nd of December 1953. He returned to the U.S. and began writing songs for Lawrence and Patti Page. His first hit was “The Story of My Life”, which Marty Robbins won in late 1957. It was also notable because of its co-composer Hal David, who became Bacharach’s songwriting partner, and collaborated on many of his biggest hits. In January 1958, the Bacharach/David duo followed up with Perry Como’s “Magic Moments”, another U.K. chart-topper. It was also a Top Five entry in America. Bacharach and Marlene Dietrich split in 1958. In 1961, he returned to the Drifters and co-wrote several songs with Bob Hilliard (“Mexican Divorce”) and “Please Stay” before reuniting again with Hal David. He met Dionne Warwick, who was a member the Drifters’ backup vocal band, the Gospelaires, at an arrangement session. By 1962, Bacharach u0026 David had begun to focus their composing energies on Warwick. He was the recipient of 15 Top 40 singles between 1962 and 1968, including the Top Tens “Anyone Who Has a Heart,” Walk on By,” Message to Michael,” I Say a Little Prayer,” and “Valley of the Dolls.” They were also dominant in England where Frankie Vaughan and Cilla Black, Sandie Shire, the Walker Brothers and Herb Alpert all reached number one with Bacharach/David songs. The songwriters also contributed film scores to Alfie, Casino Royale, and What’s New Pussycat? as if their lives weren’t already full. Their most famous score, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), was nominated for Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Theme Song. It also won two Academy Awards (non-musical). Bacharach and David started work on the musical Promises, Promises during the late 1960s. It won a Tony Award and a Grammy Award (for cast albums) during a three-year Broadway run. Bacharach reached the Top 100 with “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” in 1969. Surprisingly this was not Bacharach’s first foray into recording. In May 1965, Bacharach reached number four on the U.K. charts with “Trains and Boats and Planes” and he also released several solo albums in the late 1960s. Burt Bacharach’s future looked bright at the beginning of the 1970s, when “(They Long To Be) Close to You”, a Carpenters song, rose to number one in the U.S. July 1970. However, the forecast proved premature as his three closest friends, Hal David, Dionne Warswick and Angie Dickinson, left him. His 1971 album, which featured his most popular songs, earned him many accolades. However, later albums were not as successful and Bacharach’s next hit came almost a decade after the original. He collaborated with Christopher Cross and Carole Bayer Sager on “Arthur’s Theme”, which was nominated for an Oscar. One year later Bacharach married Bayer Sager and they co-wrote Roberta Flack’s Top 20 hit, “Making Love” as well as “Heartlight”, which Neil Diamond went to number 5. Bacharach began to compose again and hit the charts. 1986 was his best year with two number one hits: “That’s what Friends Are For”, by Stevie Wonder and “On My Own,” a duet from Patti LaBelle (and Elton John), and “That’s How Friends Are For”. In 1991, he divorced Sager and worked again with Dionne Warwick two years later on “Sunny Weather Love”, from her Friends Can Be Lovers record. In 1993, Bacharach also contributed songs to James Ingram, Earth, Wind.
