Hal David
Harold Lane " Hal " David ( born May 25, 1921 in New York City; † 1 September 2012 in Los Angeles, California ) was an American songwriter whose songs have been very successful in collaboration with Burt Bacharach and received numerous awards.
Career
After studying at New York University School of Journalism, he began logically as a journalist for the New York Post. Then he joined the profession, tried it - like his older brother Mack David - in 1947 as a songwriter and had to register with the ASCAP. His first song Is not This Better Than Walking in the Rain? (together with Louis Ricca ) took bandleader Sammy Kaye for his orchestra in June 1947, the first singles chart success was with The Four Winds and the Seven Seas ( Music: Don Rodney ). Vic Damone ( July 1949 U.S. # 19). Shortly thereafter, Frank Sinatra and Eddy Howard took his American Beauty Rose ( May 1950 # 26 Sinatra ). With varying degrees of success and always new writers partners created songs like Have a Hope, Have a Wish, Have a Prayer for The Delta Rhythm Boys (along with Leon Carr, December 1954 ).
Collaboration with Burt Bacharach
Hal David first met in 1956 in New York's Brill Building to the composer Burt Bacharach, Bacharach as he belonged to the music publisher Famous Music, the most active music publishing house of the Brill Building at that time. The first joint composition of the two was Peggy 's in the Pantry, a B-side for Sherry Parsons (June 1956). There was I Cry More, Alan Dale in the rock classic film Do not Knock the Rock sang ( September 1956 ). The country star Marty Robbins took over in November 1957 The Story of My Life. Powered by a bizarre whistling clip, the single reached # l5 of the U.S. charts (# 1 in the country charts ) and was the first successful joint composition of the two. Perry Como Magic Moments already came out in January 1958, and can be seen as the beginning of the typical arrangements enable the team of Bacharach- David would be successful in the sixties. In its initial phase as a team but each also collaborated with other writers partners. Hal David sought so often working with Sherman Edwards, with the Broken Hearted Melody for Sarah Vaughan was born ( July 1959, # 7) - his highest chart position until then and his first million-seller. With My Heart Is an Open Book, sung by Carl Dobkins Jr., and composed together with Lee Pockriss he had already reached the top 3 ( April 1959 ). It was the first and only big hit of the singer. From that time, then the cooperation of David with Bacharach was intensified.
But the really big success came with Dionne Warwick, which was discovered by the author team in the background choir of the Drifters. She was interested in the Bacharach - David composition I Just Do not Know What to Do with Myself, which, however, in August 1962 awarded to Tommy Hunt. The song flopped with a place # 119 Also Make It Easy on Yourself was not allowed to take over at first, but it was Jerry Butler allotted ( July 1962, # 20). Angry that she was not considered with these songs, Warwick made their anger: " Do not make me over, man! " ( " Lie not look at me, people! "). Warwick got her chance: Without realizing it, she delivered with this statement, the team with the idea for a new composition. Do not Make Me Over was in December 1962 her first authored by the author team Bacharach / David hit, reaching # 21 on the charts. More than any other performer of Dionne Warwick's singing style by the melancholic -soul -like songs of Bacharach / David was coined. Warwick became the vehicle for the catchy songs of the two authors.
The producers of the successful James Bond spy film series, known for their clever choice of music, took over the Hal David lyrics We Have All the Time in the World ( Music: John Barry, who had accompanied most of the Bond films with music ), which was selected as the James Bond film music for the film Her Majesty's Secret ( sung by Louis Armstrong, recorded on October 28, 1969 and produced by Phil Ramone ).
Awards
Hal David wrote the ASCAP According to 644 songs Bacharach are 656 registered, the largest part is accounted for by the common intersection of the team. Raindrops Keep Fallin 'on My Head won an Academy Award for Film Music for Western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ( Two bandits ). He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984. David was in 1999 the first non- Briton to whom the Ivor Novello Award was presented. In October 2011, David was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.