Guide Note

Burt Bacharach is a popular songwriter, composer, and pianist known for such works as Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head and That's What Friends Are For. His work has produced many top hits over the past fifty years of his career. Bacharach got his start at a young age while going through school in New York City and taking piano lessons. During the earliest phase of his career, Bacharach worked as accompanist and conductor for Marlene Dietrich. Eventually he established himself as part of a major songwriting duo with Hal David. Together the pair enjoyed a string of 39 consecutive chart hits for Dionne Warwick. Bacharach wrote many classic songs including "Walk On By", "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head", "What's New, Pussycat", "The Look of Love" and "What the World Needs Now is Love."

Fast Facts

1. Born: May 12, 1928
2. Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
3. Worked with lyricists Hal David and Carole Bayer Sager
4. First number one hit was The Story Of My Life recorded by Marty Robbins
5. Won an Academy Award for Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head in 1969
6. Ex-husband of Angie Dickinson
7. Co-wrote Grammy Award winning album Painted From My Memory with Elvis Costello

• Hitmaker! Burt Bacharach Plays His Hits (1965)
• What's New Pussycat (1965)
• After the Fox (1966)
• Reach Out (1967)
• Casino Royale (1967)
• On The Flip Side (1967)
• Make it Easy on Yourself (1969)
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
• Promises, Promises (1969)
• Burt Bacharach (1971)
• Lost Horizon (Film soundtrack) (1973)
• Burt Bacharach in Concert (1974)
• Living Together (1974)
• Futures (1977)
• Woman (1979)
• Arthur (1981)
• Night Shift (1982)
• Arthur 2: On The Rocks (1988)
• One Amazing Night (1998)
• Painted From Memory with Elvis Costello (1998)
• Isley Meets Bacharach: Here I Am with Ronald Isley (2003)
• At This Time (2005)