Burt Bacharach is simply one of the most accomplished composers of the 20th Century. In the 1960s and '70s, Bacharach was a dominant figure in popular music, writing an amazing 52 Top 40 hits. In their musical sophistication, Bacharach compositions stood apart from much of the simpler pop music of the era. Bacharach songs typically boasted memorable melodies, unconventional time signatures and striking chord changes. Lyricist Hal David, Bacharach's primary collaborator, provided Bacharach's music with Tin Pan Alley craft and melodrama. David's unsentimental, bittersweet lyrics often contrasted with Bacharach's soaring melodies. While Bacharach's name in the 1970s became synonymous with elevator music, due in large part to his music's familiarity, a closer listening suggests that his meticulously crafted, technically sophisticated music is anything but easy listening.
Burt Bacharach was born in Kansas City, Mo., on May 12, 1928. The son of nationally syndicated columnist Bert Bacharach, Burt grew up in New York and -- at his mother's insistance -- studied cello, drums, and then piano beginning at the age of 12. As a youth, Burt hated his piano lessons. His dream was to play professional football, but his lack of size kept him out of that field.
As a teenager, Bacharach fell in love with jazz and sometimes used a fake ID to sneek into 52nd Street nightclubs to see bebop legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Bebop's far-out harmonies and melodies were a major influence on the young composer.
Bacharach soon started a band and his first music jobs were playing at Catskills resorts and army bases. He enrolled in the music studies program at McGill University in Montreal. It was there that he wrote his first song.
Source: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Burt-Bacharach-Biography/67E15A1213C41C114825696A00367818
