Welcome to the BURT BACHARACH & HAL DAVID MySpace©

Music:

HAL DAVID exemplifies the highest level of achievement in the fine art of the written word that accompanies the music of a memorable song.

Despite his substantial music credentials, DAVID, as a young man, turned to journalism as a potential career, and like a number of other illustrious magicians of words on the printed page, cut his eye teeth at The New York Post.

While pouring out words of the news in The Post's city room, DAVID dabbled in song lyrics as well, and thanks to a lucky break, wrote his first successful lyric for "swing and sway" bandleader, Sammy Kaye, in 1947. With this entree, the door was opened and other hits came tumbling out of DAVID's busy typewriter. One of the first of these was "Four Winds and the Seven Seas", created with co-writer, Don Rodney, a vocalist for the Guy Lombardo Orchestra. A recording by the Lombardo Ensemble became a hit.

DAVID followed with "Broken-Hearted Melody", which became Sarah Vaughan's biggest single hit ever, and "Johnny Get Angry", a great success for yet another female singer, Joanie Sommers.

One of the best-known, most productive songwriting teams of the late 50's and the decade of the 60's was born in the offices of the Famous Music Corporation in 1957, when HAL DAVID first met BURT BACHARACH.

Famous Music executive, Eddie Wolpin, offered them a room and a piano and there was almost instant rapport. Rapport in turn grew into productivity and the two were hitting paydirt in short order with such titles as "Story of My Life", a hit for country singer, Many Robbins, and the same year, "Magic Moments", an important hit for Perry Como. Other hit songs followed, each generating a share of heavy chart activity. Among them were "Wishin' and Hopin'", "Twenty-four Hours from Tulsa", and a pair recorded by the diminutive Connecticut hitmaker, Gene Pitney, "Only Love Can Break a Heart", and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance".

One singer in particular, Dionne Warwick, has for years been associated with HAL DAVID and collaborator, BURT BACHARACH. Their initial success with Warwick came when she recorded a demo of their song, "Make It Easy on Yourself", heard by and recorded into a hit by Jerry Butler. Later presented by Scepter Records with a chance to not only write songs for Ms. Warwick but to produce her records as well, long runs of success ensued, each of them bearing the estimable trademark lyrics of HAL DAVID. The hits included "Don't Make Me Over", "Message to Michael", and "Windows of the World". Warwick at the time, commented on another of the team's songs, "What The World Needs Now", which she felt "should be the national anthem." The song actually became identified for years with singer-songwriter, Jackie DeShannon.

Later, DAVID, with BACHARACH and others, produced a collection of top hits for other artists, including the Oscar-winning "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (from the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" ), "Alfie", "What's New, Pussycat?", "The Look of Love" (from "Casino Royale"; Oscar nominees), "Wives and Lovers", "I'll Never Fall in Love Again", "It Was Almost Like a Song" (all Grammy nominees), "This Guy's in Love with You", "Anyone Who Had a Heart", "Promises, Promises", "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?", "A House Is Not a Home", "Walk on By", and "Trains and Boats and Planes".

During the late 70's, DAVID ventured into Nashville territory, where he co-wrote with Archie Jordan, "It Was Almost Like a Song", which became a smash country hit for Ronnie Milsap, later crossing over into the pop charts. Another country artist, the renowned Willie Nelson, duetted with the Latin star, Julio Iglesias in the hugely successful "To All The Girls I've Loved Before", which DAVID co-wrote with Albert Hammond.

The author of the book, "What the World Needs Now and Other Love Lyrics" (Simon & Schuster), HAL DAVID also served from 1980 to 1986 as president of the 'American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' (ASCAP) and continues to serve on the Society's board and as chairman of its legislative Committee. He also continues to write songs that the world inevitably takes to its heart.

Mr. DAVID's civic and charitable activities include the New York City Food Bank and he is a member of the Acquisitions Committee of the Whitney Museum in New York, as well as a member of the Board of Governors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Other achievements:

* He is a founder of the Los Angeles Music Center.

* In 1984 HAL DAVID was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

* He received a Doctor of Music degree from Lincoln College, Illinois in 1991 for his major contribution to American music.

* In May 2000 he received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters Degree from Claremont Graduate University.

* He is a member of the Artist's Committee for Kennedy Center Honors.

* He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of ASCAP, having served as its President, and where he now works on reform of intellectual property rights.

* He serves the Advisory Board of the Society of Singers.

* He is a member of the Board of Visitors of Claremont University in California.

* In 1999 HAL DAVID became the first American to be honoured with a prestigious Ivor Novello Award by the British Academy Of Composers And Songwriters for his string of landmark hits.

* He is currently the Chairman of the Board of the National Academy of Popular Music and its Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF).

Songwriters of the 90's often tend to belong to one special niche in the music process. One of the reasons for this is the fact that many are writing principally for themselves as artists, thus tending to fall into a single category. BURT BACHARACH, who has been writing song hits in many regions of the pop landscape for four decades, is decidedly not a member of this special club.

BACHARACH, in fact, has enjoyed major hits in all genres of music, including top 40, rhythm and blues, country, film scores and soundtracks. He is a multi-faceted composer enjoying credits with a host of major collaborators, particularly HAL DAVID.

Born in Missouri, Bacharach did most of his growing up in New York City, where during his elementary school years, he began taking piano lessons. A familiar scenario indeed, which for many, ends almost where it starts with not enough will to practice and too much homework from school. BACHARACH, in fact, ate it up and, already influenced by one of the significant fads of that time, be-bop jazz and such practitioners as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, he graduated from high school and continued his education at Montreal's McGill University, the New School for Social Research in New York and the Mannes School of Music, also in New York. His studies included music composition from such masters as Darius MILHAUD, Boguslav Martinu and Henry Cowell.

During the earliest phase of his career, BACHARACH worked as accompanist and conductor for Marlene Dietrich's night club act. In the early and mid-60's, his songwriting talents became the pivotal force in his music, with country-rock smashes, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", and the classic, "Only Love Can Break A Heart", for Gene Pitney; and "The Story Of My Life" for the country star, Marty Robbins.

Soon established as a major songwriting duo with HAL DAVID, BACHARACH and his partner became long term contributors to the career of Dionne Warwick. Over a period of 10 years, the pair enjoyed a string of 39 consecutive chart hits with Ms. Warwick, including such memorable songs as "Walk On By", "Don't Make Me Over", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "Promises, Promises", and "Message To Michael".

The song, "That's What Friends Are For", recorded by Warwick with Stevie Wonder, Sir Elton John and Gladys Knight, and co-written with Carole Bayer Sager, became Number 1 on the hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, received a Grammy for "Song of the Year", and with songwriters and artists all contributing their services without charge, the recording raised over $1,500,000 for the 'American Foundation for AIDS Research' (AmFAR).

BURT BACHARACH's motion picture scores have also achieved classic status. With HAL DAVID a co-writer, the output includes a series of memorable themes, such as "What's New, Pussycat?", (the title song was a million-seller for Britain's Tom Jones); "Casino Royale", from which the song "The Look Of Love" was a Gold record for both Dusty Springfield and Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. The title song became a major hit for Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.

Others in the movie genre include: "Alfie", "Together?" with vocals by Michael McDonald, Jackie DeShannon and Libby Titus; "Arthur", "Night Shift", "Making Love", "Baby Boom", and the memorable "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" for which he received a pair of Oscars. Meanwhile, an album compilation of greatest BACHARACH hits featuring the original recordings, and fitled "The Look of Love: the Burt Bacharach Collection" , was released in November 1998 and promptly hit the Number 6 position on the UK best-selling charts.

On the Broadway stage, BACHARACH and DAVID wrote "Promises, Promises", a smash hit at the box office as well as through the Dionne Warwick recording of the title song. On another front, BACHARACH, as arranger and conductor, has also recorded 8 albums for A&M Records.

In the few moments not totally devoted to composing, BACHARACH has also become a horse owner with several successful thoroughbreds currently running, including ' Soul of the Matter ' (who won a 1 million dollar prize race in 1995 and was a close 2nd in the 1996 Dubai World Cup ) and 'Afternoon Deelites'. Another from the BACHARACH stable, 'Heartlight No. One', a filly, was winner of the prestigious Eclipse Award (1983), an extremely significant accolade in track and paddock circles. The horse was named after the song, "Heartlight", composed by BACHARACH, Carole Bayer Sager and recording artist Neil Diamond.

* In May 2001, Mr. BACHARACH accepted the Royal Academy of Music Award, presented by King Carl Gustav XVI in Stockholm (Sweden).

* As of 2006, BURT BACHARACH had a total of 70 Top 40 hits in the USA, and 52 Top 40 hits in the U.K.

* "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" won an Academy Award as the score for the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid".

* "What The World Needs Now (Is Love)" was honored with the Towering Song Award (2004).

* "Don't Make Me Over", "(They Long to Be) Close to You", and "Walk on By" are all in the Grammy® Hall of Fame.

* "What's New, Pussycat?", "Alfie", and "The Look of Love" received Oscar nominations.

VIDEOS:

The sophisticated melodies of Burt BACHARACH were among the defining sounds of American popular music in the 60's and early 70's. In an era when rock gained ascendancy, his elegant compositions echoed the heyday of the great Broadway and Tin Pan Alley songwriters. In tandem with lyricist Hal DAVID, BACHARACH created songs graced with complex rhythms and fresh harmonic patterns that were rich in color and mood.

The BACHARACH / DAVID team produced a remarkable body of work for the stage and screen as well as for the record-buying market. The Carpenters, Sir Tom Jones, B.J. Thomas, Dusty Springfield and, most of all, Dionne Warwick were among the artists who popularized BACHARACH's songs. The start of the 21st century found him increasingly productive, working with new collaborators and releasing retrospectives of his best work.

Coming Soon: the official Burt Bacharach website

Sal DiTroia, we shall miss you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR HAL!

"(They Long To Be) Close To You" (the making of...)

Burt's latest recordings can now be purchased online!

"Unchained Melody" to be honored with 'Towering Song' Award

DON KIRSHNER to receive Abe Olman Publisher Award For Lifetime Achievement

A - short - 1999 Interview with Hal David...

ASCAP biography : Hal David

2 audio interviews with Burt.... (2006)

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