Burt Bacharach. He was probably my favorite composer ever, since kindergarten. My single mom would play his stuff, especially with Dionne Warwick. It was a big influence on my own music. I remember being about 5, 6 . . . whenever my mom put on his records, I would get my purple turtle-neck out, my mini fedora, put on some of my Hai Karate green cologne, grab my spy case (a blue, old Avon briefcase of my mom's) full of my tools of the trade, go out and play, looking and feeling "cool." At the time I was way into "Flint" (James Coburn), James Bond, The Mod Squad. Anything cool. I wanted to be a spy.
Different times for sure; my mom had a boyfriend for a while who was a young cop. He gave me a VERY real looking little black, metal pistol "cap" gun. The blanks it shot looked like little copper bullets. It looked, sounded--it was LOUD!--, felt like a real .22 hand-gun! I'd run around the neighborhood, with my spy gear, hiding and shooting perceived bad guys when needed. No one ever complained, freaked-out . . . boys will boys, ya know. Yeah, I pretty much ran wild about the block. '67-68. Def safer times!
A funny quick story from then: I saw kids doing lemonade stands. I thought, "hmm, I have an idea..." I found our little card table. I made a sign "A cup for 25 Cents" . . . then got into my mom's kitchen cupboard, found a couple bottle of opened red wine, sat them out on the table with some paper cups and waited for customers. An old wandering man or two stopped by (we lived kind of close to downtown, on "lower avenues". Then, an alarmed lady neighbor showed up, knocked on our door. My mom came out aghast, but laughing, and they made me put it all back, haha! I did make a few coins though! Enterprising young fellow, lol. . .
Anyway. I know he (Burt) had a fairly troubled personal life, lots of marriages, romantic drama. But man, his melodies, chords, lyrics. Still to this day I/we listen to his stuff.
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[Here's a fun cool clip of Burt on Andy Williams '68]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbxJdwmsaXc
1 comment:
Bro. T.
WOW. I never knew who wrote all of those wonderful songs.
And, Rain Drops Keep Falling on my Head.
Burt Bacharach certainly had an amazing musical and writing talent.
Another artist which I only heard of a few years ago was Leonard Cohen.
Talk about that biblical phrase "remembrance!"
Thank you, Bro. T.
Peace, love and the Lord's favour,
Roger
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