Burt Bacarac, "The Playboy of the Western World" Dies
The death of the American composer Burt Bakarack (94 years old), who was famous for dozens of works that became classics for the great singers in the seventies, was absent.
Among the most prominent of whom Bacarac composed were Retha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, The Beatles, and his favorite singer, Diane Warwick. The composer died at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes, his manager confirmed to AFP on Thursday.
His romantic, jazz and pop songs were very popular and charted in the United States as well as in Europe. Bacarac's most notable compositions include "What the World Needs Now is Love", "The Look of Love", "Don't Break Away My Heart" and "A House if Not a Home".
Bacarac composed works for more than a thousand singers, including Tom Jones, Elvis Costello and the duo The White Stripes.
Saxophonist Stan Getz released an entire album of Bacarac compositions (“What the World Needs Now: Stan Getz Plays the Bret Bacarac Songbook”), while singers such as Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys and former guitarist and composer Noel Gallagher raved. with his works.
Bacarac used to say, "I follow only one rule: I don't make songs difficult for listeners to receive." His musical style drew the attention of those who heard his compositions, and at the same time posed a challenge to the singers who performed works of his composition.
Singer Cilla Black once said that she had to record "Alfie" 32 times at Abbey Road Studios in London until she came up with a performance that Bacarac liked.
Bacarac, a jazz pianist, was born on May 12, 1928 in Kansas City, and studied composition at a number of American universities.
After completing his military service, Marlene Dietrich appointed him as the arranger and musical director for her tours. In 1957, Bacarac met songwriter Hal David, and formed a duo with him that was one of the most successful in the musical field.
Four years into their partnership, they discovered singer Diane Warwick during a recording session. Between 1962 and 1968, 15 of their songs appeared on the US Top 40 charts, including "Walk on Bay", "Any Won Ho Had A Heart" and "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?".
The duo rose to prominence in Hollywood as well, winning two Academy Awards in 1970 for the music for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and its original song, "Cape Falling On My Head Raindrops."
Bacarac won an Oscar in 1982 for the original song from the movie "Arthur", but this time he received the reward without the presence of his colleague.
In 1973, a dispute occurred over financial matters between Bacarac and David, and for ten years there was no communication between them except through their two defense attorneys, and they did not work together again.
After the end of the partnership with Hal David, it was not until the 1980s that Bert Bacarac achieved further success.
The composer, who was dubbed the "Playboy of the Western World" in the 1960s, was married four times to Paula Stewart (1953-1958), Angie Dickinson (1965-1980), Carol Bayer Sager (1982-1991) and Jane Hansen (1993).
Of his turbulent love life, he once said, "I was in love with my music, and the passion to make it perfect was driving me crazy." Bakarak's life witnessed a tragedy represented by the suicide of his daughter Nikki from actress Angie Dickinson, and in 2007 Nikki, who was suffering from autism, decided to end her life when she was forty, and Albert Bakarak had three other children.
