Photo: Burt Bacharach | By Hillel Italie, Associated Press / Yahoo | Burt Bacharach, the singularly gifted and popular composer who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of “Walk on By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” and dozens of other hits, has died at 94.
The Grammy, Oscar and Tony-winning Bacharach died Wednesday at home in Los Angeles of natural causes, publicist Tina Brausam said Thursday.
Over the past 70 years, only Lennon-McCartney, Carole King and a handful of others rivaled his genius for instantly catchy songs that remained performed, played and hummed long after they were written. He had a run of top 10 hits from the 1950s into the 21st century, and his music was heard everywhere from movie soundtracks and radios to home stereo systems and iPods, whether “Alfie” and “I Say a Little Prayer” or “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” and “This Guy’s in Love with You.”
Dionne Warwick was his favorite interpreter, but Bacharach, usually in tandem with lyricist Hal David, also created prime material for Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and many others. Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra were among the countless artists who covered his songs, with more recent performers who sung or sampled him including White Stripes, Twista and Ashanti. “Walk On By” alone was covered by everyone from Warwick and Isaac Hayes to the British punk band the Stranglers and Cyndi Lauper.
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“Music softens the heart, makes you feel something if it’s good, brings in emotion that you might not have felt before,” he told the AP in 2018. “It’s a very powerful thing if you’re able to do to it, if you have it in your heart to do something like that.”
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Read the full article here just stuffed with some of Mr. Bacharach’s songs:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/burt-bacharach-legendary-composer-pop-145014844.html
The late Associated Press writer Bob Thomas was a contributor to this report from Los Angeles.
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OTHER NOTABLE MUSICIANS’ DEATHS
Hats off to Mendelson Joe for having the courage to ask for assisted suicide which is now legal in many states and countries. The article didn’t say what he suffered from but you can bet it was going to be a long, drawn out suffering for him and his family. If you want to know more about any of the musicians we lost, please check them out at http://www.wikipedia.com
February 2023
9: Burt Bacharach, composer/singer/songwriter.
8: Mendelson Joe, 78, Canadian singer-songwriter, assisted suicide.
7: Richard Kell, 95, Irish poet, composer, and teacher; Steve Sostak, 49, American rock musician (Sweep the Leg Johnny).
6: Phil Spalding, 65, English bass player (GTR, Original Mirrors, Toyah).
5: Lillian Walker, 78, American singer (The Exciters), angiosarcoma.
4: Vani Jairam, 77, Indian playback singer (Sankarabharanam, Guddi, Sollathaan Ninaikkiren), fall.
3: Paul Janovitz, 54, American musician (Cold Water Flat) and photographer; Nada Urbánková, 83, Czech singer and actress, complications from cancer and COVID-19.
2: Butch Miles, 78, American jazz drummer; Tim Quy, British musician (Cardiacs); Caspar Richter, 78, German conductor (Vereinigte Bühnen Wien); Yung Trappa, 27, Russian rapper.
1: Maria Mykolaychuk, 81, Ukrainian singer and actress; Lucy Quintero, 74, Panamanian folk singer, heart attack.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_2023
Photo: Burt Bacharach (from his Facebook page)
https://www.facebook.com/583913155035715/photos/
Burt Bacharach, Legendary Composer of Pop Songs, Dies at 94 // Other Notable Musicians’ Deaths
