![]() ![]() Later, he would headline in Las Vegas at Harrah’s Club and the Riviera Hotel and co-host TV variety shows including The Hollywood Palace with Angie Dickinson.ĭuring his early years, A&R people would criticize his work as not being danceable. ![]() His musical heroes included Harry James and Dizzy Gillespie, who he used a fake ID to see at a 52nd Street nightclub as a teen. He broke the rules but remained steadfast to one principle: the melody must be acceptable to the average listener. ![]() ![]() In the ’60s, he stretched pop music compositions beyond the norm with more sophisticated chord progressions and melodies that alighted in non-standard time signatures: instead of the typical 4/4, they often bounded in 5/4 or 7/8. He met David while both were working in the legendary songwriting mecca the Brill Building. He was drafted into the Army during the Korean War and was shipped off to Germany, where he met singer Vic Damone and toured the First Army area as a “concert pianist.”Īfter the service, he moved to New York and played in clubs. Dreaming of becoming a football player, Bacharach acquiesced to his mother’s wishes that he take piano lessons and playing piano in a high school band.Īfter discovering bop music, Bacharach attended Montreal’s McGill University, where he earned a B.A. His father was on the staff of Colliers magazine, where he was a nationally syndicated columnist. He collaborated with Elvis Costello on a version of “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” on the soundtrack to the 1999 Powers sequel, The Spy Who Shagged Me (also appearing in the film) and, in 2002, he was featured in the credit roll of the third Powers film, which also had a remake of “Alfie” as “Austin,” sung by the Bangles‘ Susanna Hoffs.īurt Freeman Bacharach was born in Kansas City, MO on May 12, 1928. Mike Myers spoofed Bacharach’s ladies man/raconteur reputation in the first Austin Powers movie, in which the composer had a cameo. One (named for a hit collaboration with Neil Diamond), was a champion in 1983 and another, Soul of the Matter, was a Breeder’s cup starter in 19. He was also known for his ownership and breeding of thoroughbred race horses for more than 30 years and his frequent attendance at the Kentucky Derby. His longtime marriage to actress Angie Dickinson fueled that “hip” image. Sammy Cahn dubbed him the only composer who didn’t look like a dentist. Handsome and suave, Bacharach was somewhat of a matinee idol. Bacharach’s compositions received three other Oscar nominations: for “What’s New Pussycat?,” (from the movie of the same name in 1965) “Alfie,” (movie of the same name 1966) and “The Look of Love” (from Casino Royale, 1967)īacharach and David team scored films as well in the ’70s, doing the music for “Lost Horizon” and “Howard the Duck,” after which they separated for a short duration. He also won an Oscar for Best Song for “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” which he shared with Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Allen and singer Christopher Cross. The Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid theme song “Raindrops” earned Bacharach two Oscars (best score and best theme song) as well as a Grammy for best score. 1 hit “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” during this fertile period (he also scored a pre-acclaim Hot 100 entry with the titular theme song to the Steve McQueen horror flick The Blob in 1958, with The Five Blobs’ “The Blob” hitting No. Bacharach ventured into motion picture songwriting, creating indelible soundtrack songs such as “The Look of Love” and the Hot 100 No. ![]()
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