Songwriter Burt Bacharach died today at his home in Los Angeles, his publicist, Tina Brausam, said Thursday.
Born on May 12, 1928, in Kansas City, Missouri, Bacharach began playing the piano at his mother’s insistence. However, his love of music grew when he was a teenager living in Queens, New York, where he had access to nightclubs featuring jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.
He was the creator of such hits as “Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head”, “Wishin’ and Hopin'”, “A House is Not a Home” and “That’s What Friends Are For”. And another essential tune from the 60s: “Say a Little Prayer”, immortalized by Dione Warwick and Aretha Franklin.
In the past 70 years, only Lennon-McCartney, Carole King, and a handful of others have rivaled his genius. Dionne Warwick was his favorite performer, but Bacharach, often in conjunction with lyricist Hal David, also created top-notch material for Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, and many others.
Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Frank Sinatra were among the artists who covered his songs, but newer voices sang his songs, including the White Stripes, Twista and Ashanti.
