Burt Bacharach

American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist Burt Bacharach was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, graduating from Forest Hills High School in 1946. He was the son of Irma M. (née Freeman) and Mark Bertram “Bert” Bacharach, a well-known syndicated newspaper columnist.

Bacharach studied music at McGill University in Montreal, under Helmut Blume, at the Mannes School of Music in New York City, and at the Music Academy of the West in Montecito, California.

Bacharach was drafted into the U.S. Army in the late 1940s and served for two years. He was stationed in Germany and played piano in officers’ clubs there, and at Fort Dix and Governors Island. He met the singer Vic Damone while they were both serving in the army in Germany and following his discharge, Bacharach spent the next three years as a pianist and conductor for Damone.

In 1956, at the age of 28, Bacharach became a part-time music director for American actress and singer Marlene Dietrich, who had been an international screen star during the golden age of Hollywood. They toured worldwide off and on until the early 1960s. When they were not touring, he wrote songs. As a result of his collaboration with Dietrich, he gained his first major recognition as a conductor and arranger.

Also in 1956, Bacharach and lyricist Hal David, who were both working in the Brill Building in New York City for Famous Music, published their first songs as co-writers. The songs published in 1956 included a career breakthrough when “The Story of My Life” was recorded by Marty Robbins, becoming a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Country Chart in 1957. Soon afterwards, “Magic Moments” was recorded by Perry Como for RCA Records, and reached No.4 on the US charts.

Bacharach’s career received a boost when singer Jerry Butler asked to record the Bacharach and David penned “Make It Easy on Yourself” (best-known version is the 1965 recording by the Walker Brothers) Butler also wanted Bacharach to direct the recording sessions. It became the first time Bacharach managed the entire recording process for one of his own songs.

In 1961 Bacharach discovered singer Dionne Warwick, who was working as a session backup singer at the time. Bacharach and Hal David were both excited by Warwick’s singing and decided to form a production company, Blue JAC Productions, so they could write for Warwick and produce her recordings. Warwick made her solo recording debut in 1962 with “Don’t Make Me Over”, which also became her first hit.

Over the next 20 years, Warwick’s recordings of Bacharach and David songs sold over 12 million copies, with 22 Top 40 hits. Among them: “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” “Only Love Can Break A Heart,” “Don’t Make Me Over,” “Make It Easy On Yourself,” “Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa,” “Anyone Who Had A Heart,” “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” “Wives and Lovers,” “Wishin’ and Hopin,” “Walk On By,” “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself,” “(There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me,” “A House Is Not A Home,” “Message To Martha,” and “What The World Needs Now Is Love.”

Bacharach and David later collaborated with Broadway producer David Merrick on the 1968 musical Promises, Promises, which yielded two hits, including the title tune and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”. Also in 1968, the duo’s song “This Guy’s in Love with You” was recorded by Herb Alpert, who was best known at the time as a fellow songwriter and a trumpet player as the leader of the Tijuana Brass. The song became the first No. 1 hit for Alpert and his label, A&M Records.

1969 marked, perhaps, the most successful Bacharach-David collaboration, the Oscar-winning “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”, written for and prominently featured in the acclaimed film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The two were also awarded a Grammy for Best Cast album of the year for Promises, Promises; the score was nominated for a Tony Award, as well.

Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, Bacharach continued to write and produce for artists, compose for stage, TV, and film, and release his own albums. He enjoyed a great deal of visibility in the public spotlight, appearing frequently on TV and performing live in concert.

By the early 1980s, Bacharach’s marriage to actress Angie Dickinson had ended, but a new partnership with lyricist Carole Bayer Sager proved rewarding, both commercially and personally. The pair collaborated on several major hits during the decade, including “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” (Christopher Cross), which won an Academy Award for Best Song; “Heartlight” (Neil Diamond); “Making Love” (Roberta Flack); and “On My Own” (Patti LaBelle with Michael McDonald).

Bacharach’s visibility increased in the second half of the 1990s due to his appearances as himself in the Austin Powers films, a U.S. box set release of his music and a new songwriting partnership that produced a Grammy-winning album. Bacharach formed his songwriting partnership with Elvis Costello initially to write one song.

In 1996, at the height of Britpop, Noel Gallagher from Oasis and Bacharach shared the stage at the Royal Festival Hall in London where they performed a joint rendition of ‘This Guy’s In Love With You’.

In June 2015, Bacharach performed in the UK at the Glastonbury Festival.

Bacharach married four times. The first time was to Paula Stewart for five years (1953–1958). He was married to his second wife, actress Angie Dickinson, for 16 years (1965–1981), though they were separated the last five. Bacharach’s third marriage, to lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, spanned nine years. Bacharach married his fourth wife, Jane Hansen, in 1993.

Bacharach died of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles, California, on February 8, 2023, at the age of 94.

Countless contemporary artists have covered Bacharach and David songs:

Deacon Blue – Four Bacharach & David Songs as an extended play in 1990.
The Stranglers – “Walk on By”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood – “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”
Everything But the Girl – “Alfie”
The Pretenders – “Windows of the World”
The Divine Comedy – “Make It Easy On Yourself”
Faith No More – “This Guy’s In Love With You”
The White Stripes – “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself”
Fountains of Wayne – “Trains and Boats and Planes”
Lloyd Cole – “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself”
Cat Power – “What the World Needs Now is Love”
Rod Stewart – “That’s What Friends Are For”
Bryan Ferry – “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself”