Burt Bacharach

Burt Freeman Bacharach, born May 12, 1928, in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who became one of the defining figures of 20th-century popular music. He died on February 8, 2023. His father, Mark Bertram Bacharach, was a syndicated newspaper columnist, and his mother, Irma, was an amateur painter and songwriter who encouraged him to study piano, drums, and cello from an early age. Bacharach graduated from Forest Hills High School in 1946.

As a teenager, Bacharach developed a strong interest in jazz, frequently using a fake ID to enter 52nd Street nightclubs in New York City, where he heard bebop musicians including Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. He went on to study music formally at McGill University in Montreal, where he earned an Associate of Music degree in 1948 under Helmut Blume, and also trained at the Mannes School of Music in New York City and the Music Academy of the West in Montecito, California. His composition teachers included Darius Milhaud, Henry Cowell, and Bohuslav Martinů. Bacharach identified Milhaud as his greatest influence, and under his guidance wrote a Sonatina for Violin, Oboe and Piano.

Drafted into the U.S. Army in the late 1940s, Bacharach served two years, stationed in Germany as well as at Fort Dix and Governors Island, where he arranged and performed music for dance bands. While in Germany he met singer Vic Damone, and following his discharge spent three years working as Damone's pianist and conductor. He subsequently held similar roles for Polly Bergen, Steve Lawrence, the Ames Brothers, and Paula Stewart, who became his first wife. During periods when steadier work was unavailable, he accompanied singers at resorts in the Catskill Mountains, including Joel Grey. In 1956, composer Peter Matz recommended Bacharach to Marlene Dietrich, who needed an arranger and conductor for her nightclub performances. Bacharach served as her part-time music director, touring with her worldwide on and off until the early 1960s, and credited this collaboration with earning him his first significant recognition as a conductor and arranger. In her autobiography, Dietrich described their time together as seventh heaven. Bacharach eventually told Dietrich he wished to devote himself entirely to songwriting, ending their working relationship.

Also in 1956, Bacharach began collaborating with lyricist Hal David, both of whom were working at the Brill Building in New York City for Famous Music. Their first co-written songs that year included "I Cry More," "The Morning Mail," and "Peggy's In The Pantry." A major breakthrough came when Marty Robbins recorded their song "The Story of My Life," which reached number one on the Billboard Country Chart in 1957. Perry Como's recording of "Magic Moments" for RCA Records followed, reaching number four on the Most Played by Disc Jockeys chart. The two songs became the first singles by a songwriting duo to reach back-to-back number one positions in the United Kingdom. Between 1956 and the dissolution of their partnership in the mid-1970s, Bacharach and David wrote more than 230 songs together for the pop market, motion pictures, television, and Broadway.

In the early 1960s, Bacharach also collaborated with lyricist Bob Hilliard, producing songs including "Please Stay" for the Drifters, "Tower of Strength" for Gene McDaniels, "Any Day Now" for Chuck Jackson, and "Mexican Divorce" for the Drifters, all released between 1961 and 1962. In 1961, Bacharach received his first arranger and producer credits on both label and sleeve for "Three Wheels on My Wagon," written with Hilliard for Dick Van Dyke. That same year, singer Jerry Butler asked Bacharach to record "Make It Easy on Yourself" and to oversee the recording sessions, marking the first time Bacharach managed the entire recording process for one of his own compositions. Also in 1961, Bacharach discovered Dionne Warwick, then working as a session backup singer, and from 1961 to 1972 the majority of his and David's hits were crafted specifically for her.

Bacharach wrote hits for a wide range of artists, including Gene Pitney, Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, and B.J. Thomas. Among his chart-topping songs were "This Guy's in Love with You" recorded by Herb Alpert in 1968, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" by Thomas in 1969, "(They Long to Be) Close to You" by the Carpenters in 1970, "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" by Christopher Cross in 1981, "That's What Friends Are For" by Warwick in 1986, and "On My Own" by Carole Bayer Sager in 1986. In total, Bacharach wrote 52 U.S. Top 40 hits, and more than 1,000 artists recorded his songs. His music was characterized by unconventional chord progressions, shifting time signatures, and unusual instrumental combinations for small orchestras, all reflecting his background in jazz.

On Broadway, Bacharach worked as a composer and book writer, with credits including Promises and The Look of Love. His contributions to the stage earned him the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in 1969. His songs also appeared in the soundtracks of major feature films. Over the course of his career, Bacharach received six Grammy Awards, three Academy Awards, and one Emmy Award. In 2012, he and Hal David received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the first time the honor was awarded to a songwriting team. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked Bacharach and David at number 32 on its list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.