Happy Birthday, Hal David...and more.!

"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Essayist and poet (1803-1882)

Happy Wednesday! Today is Lyricist Hal David's 90th birthday. I don't know about you but I can't imagine my life without the lyrics of Hal David. I grew up listening to his music. As I've written before, I have over 6000 songs on my Ipod. It is always on shuffle. I don't think a day goes by that at least one of Hal David's songs doesnt pop up on my Ipod! Thank you, Hal! And here's to the next 90 years! Because of your songs, there WILL be 90 more years!
HAL DAVID was born in Brooklyn, New York on May 25th, 1921. As a kid he studied violin and played in neighborhood bands.
A natural wordsmith, David wrote for the Thomas Jefferson High School newspaper, becoming editor in his senior year. He studied at the NYU School of Journalism before joining the New York Post as a copywriter while playing violin for various ensembles on the borscht circuit at weekends.
David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.
While serving in the Army, Hal David was posted to the Central Pacific Entertainment Section in Hawaii. When World War II ended he returned to New York where, encouraged by his oldest brother, noted country and Disney songwriter Mack David, he set about earning a living as a professional lyricist.

In 1947 he sold his song "Isn’t This Better Than Walking In The Rain?" to bandleader Sammy Kaye and enjoyed further success when his composition "The Four Winds And The Seven Seas" charted for Guy Lombardo. Hal David composed many songs with Leon Carr including Teresa Brewer’s smash hit "Bell Bottom Blues".
In 1957 David met composer Burt Bacharach at Famous Music in the Brill Building in New York. The two teamed up and wrote their first hit "The Story of My Life", recorded by Marty Robbins in 1957.
Later that year Perry Como had a hit with their "Magic Moments". Subsequently, Bacharach and David wrote some of the most enduring songs in American popular music, many for Dionne Warwick, but also for The Carpenters, Dusty SpringfieldMary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s. With her distinctive sensual sound, she was an important white soul singer, and at her peak was one of the most successful British female performers, with 18 singles in the Billboard Hot 100 from 1964 to 1970.She is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the U.K. Music Hall of Fame. International polls have named Springfield among the best female rock artists of all time.

Gene Pitney. Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006)ANOTHER AQUARIAN! was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the British Invasion. Pitney charted 16 Top 40 hits in the U.S., four in the Top 10. In the UK he had 22 Top 40 hits, and 11 singles in the Top Ten. He also wrote the early 1960s hits "Rubber Ball" by Bobby Vee, "He's a Rebel" by The Crystals, and "Hello Mary Lou" by Rick Nelson. In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Tom Jones, Jackie DeShannon, and others in the 1960s and early 1970s. Bacharach and David hits include "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", "This Guy's in Love with You", "I'll Never Fall in Love Again", "Do You Know the Way to San Jose", "Walk On By", "What the World Needs Now Is Love", "I Say a Little Prayer", "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me", "One Less Bell to Answer", and "Anyone Who Had a Heart".
Dusty Springfield "The Look Of Love" (1967) Music written by Burt Bacharach & lyrics written by Hal David and performed by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

"The Look of Love" is a popular song. Since its first appearance in the 1967 James Bond film Casino Royale, it has become synonymous with lounge and easy listening music.

The song was sung by Dusty Springfield for the Casino Royale soundtrack, and was nominated for an Oscar. Springfield re-recorded the song the same year in London and released the song as the B-side of "Give Me Time". Claudine Longet recorded the song on her 1967 album of the same title. Lainie Kazan also recorded "The Look of Love" (arranged by Pat Williams) on her 1967 album Love is Lainie. Sergio Mendes' hit rendition on the Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 album Look Around, reached #4 on the pop charts after their performance in the Academy Awards telecast in March 1968. The lead vocal on this single was handled by Janis Hansen, not Lani Hall, a rarity in the early Brasil '66 canon. In 1969, soul group The Delfonics also covered the song on their album La La Means I Love You. During 1970, Isaac Hayes covered the song for his 1970 album ...To Be Continued. While Hayes used the same lyrics, his cover includes a unique instrumental which has been heavily sampled on R&B and hip-hop records.
The duo's film work includes the Oscar-nominated title songs for "What's New Pussycat?" and "Alfie"; "The Look of Love", from Casino Royale; and the Oscar-winning "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. In addition, "Don't Make Me Over", "(They Long to Be) Close to You", and "Walk On By" have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
David's work with other composers includes Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias' "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", with Albert Hammond; Sarah Vaughan's "Broken Hearted Melody", with Sherman Edwards; the 1962 Joanie Sommers hit "Johnny Get Angry", also with Edwards; and "We Have All the Time in the World", written with John Barry and sung by Louis Armstrong, for the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service. David co-wrote with Paul Hampton the country standard Sea of Heartbreak, a hit for Don Gibson and others.
"To All the Girls I've Loved Before" was a 1984 cover of Albert Hammond's song by singers Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson, which appeared on Iglesias's album 1100 Bel Air Place. A breakthrough for Iglesias in the English language market, the song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the RPM Top Singles. "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" went to number one on the country chart and was one of two entries on the country chart for Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson as duo (second was song called Spanish Eyes, which peaked at #8 in late 1988).It was Iglesias' biggest hit in U.S.A. and Canada, and Nelson's biggest European hit. The record also appeared on Australian, New Zealandian and South African charts, and was very well sold. The song has become Iglesias's signature English-language tune, prominently performed at his concerts since the single's release. Thanks to this song, 1100 Bel Air Place became Iglesias' world-wide best selling album. In 1984, Nelson & Iglesias were also named "Duo of the year" by Country Music Association, and To All The Girls I've Loved Before was named single of the year by Academy of Country Music.
The song has been covered by many artists including Merle Haggard.Merle Haggard has always had his guitar hardwired to the gutbucket pulse of Middle America. Back in the Vietnam era, he seemed the essence of a historic political migration: white males fleeing the feminized, antiwar, politically correct Democratic Party. He was your basic Reagan Democrat, fully loaded with a resonant, iron-edged voice and the ability to write razor lyrics that stuck in the mind and the craw. His brilliant anthem—Okie from Muskogee—became a rallying cry for those who were disgusted by the "hippies out in San Francisco" smoking marijuana and burning draft cards. His next patriotic volley had this chorus: "When they're runnin' down my country, man, you're walkin' on the fightin' side of me." Merle is more than happy to talk politics, given that he has an album, The Bluegrass Sessions, which was a political and musical return to his family's Okie and New Deal Democratic roots.



Most recently, in 2010, Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette recorded her version of the song re-written as "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" for her upcoming studio album.
Nelson played rhythm guitar on the recording.
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Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com

Carol Channing, Dionne Warwick, Louis Armstrong...and more!

(This picture was taken at Carol Channing's 90th Birthday celebration at The Pantages Theatre in Hollywood February 21st, 2011. (Pictured are John Bowab (who directed the event), Davis Gaines, Joann Worley, Carol Channing, Bruch Vilanch, Carole Cooke, Mary Jo Catlett
I LOVE my horoscope today! "Others may not understand or appreciate your strange behavior today and your dance could become one of avoiding the truth. But even your most direct approach could get lost in your foggy mental landscape.
Your friends might believe that you are being contentious now, but you're not. Remember, you can still play well with others even if you're marching to a different drummer." Story of my life. Today, I'm writing about Carol Channing, Dionne Warwick, and Louis Armstrong.

Legendary Broadway star, Carol Channing and her husband Harry Kullijian, take in the closing performance of “Ramona” in Hemet on Saturday.


Carol Channing and her husband Harry Kullijian take in the closing performance of "Ramona" in Hemet May 7.
Channing had appeared to open the show that day, receiving a standing ovation and roaring applause.


“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Channing. “I’m deeply touched!”


Carol Elaine Channing (born January 31, 1921) is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards (including one for lifetime achievement), a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. Channing is best remembered for originating, on Broadway, the musical-comedy roles of bombshell Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and matchmaking widow Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly!
Channing was born in Seattle, Washington, the only child of George and Adelaide (née Glaser) Channing. Her father was a city editor at the Seattle Star; his newspaper career took the family to San Francisco when Carol was only two weeks old. Her father later became a successful Christian Science practitioner, editor, and teacher. Carol attended Aptos Middle School and Lowell High School in San Francisco. At Lowell, Channing was a member of its famed Lowell Forensic Society, the nation's oldest high-school debate team.
Channing was introduced to the stage while working for her mother. Channing recounted this experience:

"My mother said, 'Carol, would you like to help me distribute Christian Science Monitors backstage at the live theatres in San Francisco?' And I said, 'All right, I'll help you.' I don't know how old I was. I must have been little. We went through the stage door alley (for the Curran Theatre), and I couldn't get the stage door open. My mother came and opened it very well. Anyway, my mother went to put the Monitors where they were supposed to go for the actors and the crew and the musicians, and she left me alone. And I stood there and realized – I'll never forget it because it came over me so strongly – that this is a temple. This is a cathedral. It's a mosque. It's a mother church. This is for people who have gotten a glimpse of creation and all they do is recreate it. I stood there and wanted to kiss the floorboards."
Channing's first job on stage in New York was in Marc Blitzstein's No For an Answer, which was given two special Sunday performances starting January 5, 1941 at the Mecca Temple (later New York's City Center). She was 19 years old. Channing then moved to Broadway for Let's Face It!, in which she was an understudy for Eve Arden. Decades later, Arden would play "Dolly" in a road company while Channing filmed THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. Channing had a featured role in a revue, Lend an Ear. She was spotted by author Anita Loos and cast in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Lorelei Lee, the role that brought her to prominence. (Her signature song from the production was Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend.) In 1961, Channing became one of a very few Tony Award nominees to gain a nomination for work in a revue (rather than a traditional book musical), when she was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical, for the short-lived revue Show Girl.


Louis Armstrong hit the top of the pop charts for the first time On This Date in 1964 with "Hello Dolly!". Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and deep, instantly recognizable voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong’s influence extends well beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general."My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to blow that horn"
Louis Armstrong
1901-1971Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an “inventive” cornet and trumpet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence on jazz, shifting the music’s focus from collective improvisation to solo performers. With his distinctive gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also greatly skilled at scat singing, or vocalizing using syllables instead of actual lyrics.

On this day in 1983- Michael Jackson's single "Beat It" was certified Gold by the RIAA.

The incomparable Dionne Warwick shares stories on her 50 years in show biz
PJ Maytag - BottomLine Magazine
May 6th, 2011
PALM SPRINGS -- There’s a very short list of entertainers who can claim five decades of practicing their craft. And Dionne Warwick is one of them. The New Jersey native has been belting out hits throughout her career, firmly etching an indelible spot in American music.

Throughout the years, Warwick has had 56 singles chart in Billboard’s Hot 100 between 1962 and 1998.
Only Aretha Franklin has more female vocalist singles than her.

Her long running collaboration with composer Burt Bacharach, who discovered her while she was singing background vocals for The Drifters, turned into a veritable hit making machine. Songs like “Walk On By,”.
"Walk on By" is a song composed by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David for Dionne Warwick. It was recorded at the same December 1963 session that yielded "Anyone Who Had a Heart", which, in 1964, became Warwick's second Top Ten hit. Released in April of that year, "Walk on By" became a landmark single, reaching #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song also reached the top 10 in a brief run on Billboard's easy listening survey, and was a Number One hit on Cashbox's R and B chart (Billboard did not print rhythm and blues charts during 1964, the year of the song's peak performance.)"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_On_By
"Make Way for Dionne Warwick, the third album by American singer Dionne Warwick, was released in late 1964. It was recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York City with producers Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and was released by Scepter Records. The album was Warwick's first LP to chart, reaching #65 on the Billboard Top 200 and #10 on the Billboard Black Albums chart."



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionne_Warwick_discography
"Dionne Warwick (pronounced as War-wick, not like the town Warwick) (born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, activist, United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, former United States Ambassador of Health, and humanitarian. She is best known for her partnership with songwriters and producers Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
According to Billboard magazine, Dionne Warwick is second to Aretha Franklin("The Cliff Richard Show" 1970.) as the female vocalist with the most Billboard Hot 100 chart hits during the rock era (1955-1999). Warwick charted a total of 56 hits in the Billboard Hot 100. The artist scored crossover hits on the Rhythm & Blues charts and the Adult Contemporary charts. Joel Whitburn's tome on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts entitled "Top Pop Singles 1955-1999" ranked Dionne Warwick as the 20th most popular of the top 200 artists of the rock era based upon the Billboard Pop Singles Charts."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionne_Warwick “I Say A
Little Prayer,” “Do You Know The Way To San Jose,” “Alfie,” “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again,” and “Don’t Make Me Over,” just to name a few, are worldwide hits that have established her as Bacharach and Hal David’s muse.

And the five-time Grammy Award winning chanteuse continues to enthrall audiences – releasing her latest album, a Jazz compilation, entitled Only Trust Your Heart in mid-March. She has also recently penned her autobiography My Life As I See It. Her new book is the reason why her fans will have a golden opportunity to meet the legendary singer at her book signing at Just Fabulous in Palm Springs on May 14, from 2 to 4 pm.


(Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross & Whitney Houston)

The BottomLine: you’re celebrating your 50th year in music! What do you attribute your longevity to in an often fickle music biz?
Dionne Warwick: You know, I wish I could give you an answer that made sense. I guess it’s basically that I have been consistent being who I am musically and the support of people who have kept me in their arms and in their hearts and on their radios over the period of time. And singing great songs certainly didn’t hurt.

BL: Well you’ve definitely collaborated with so many great songwriters and musicians over the years: Burt Bacharach, Barry Manilow and Barry Gibb to name a few – who was your favorite and why?

Oh they all are. They’re all friends first of all, and you can never choose a favorite friend.
They each brought to the table something very special with each recording

BL: It’s so hard to break into the business, was there a moment for you when you thought to yourself – “wow, i’ve really made it!”

You know I keep saying that. [Laughs]. You know when you hear your recordings on radio and the support of audiences when you’re doing your concerts. It’s nice to be recognized for the work you do and appreciated for it. So I guess I’m still saying those very words – ‘Wow, I think I’m going to make it after all.’

BL: You’ve performed thousands of times – any concert in particular stands out as truly memorable?

Oh my goodness, 50 years of music – it’s hard to think about one concert! That’s kind of difficult. There have been many, many special moments.
Of course there was my very first concert when I was headlining – that has to reign at the top of the list. And there have been several over the years – performing before the Queen of England for the first time – the Queen Mother – at that. The concerts I did with Burt on the road, and the concerts I did with Johnny Mathis on the road, and the concerts I did with Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight – there’s been several.

BL: If you could work with anyone in the business – past or present – who would you choose?

At this moment I’m still waiting to do a recording with Earth, Wind & Fire who also happen to be my favorite group of all time. We keep passing each other on the road and say, ‘OK, we’re going to do it soon!’ [Dionne laughs]. It’s just a matter of scheduling.

BL: “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” was actually the first song lyrics I could ever memorize off the radio. Take us back to winning your first Grammy. Did you ever think that song would be such a worldwide smash hit?

Ah no, because I hated it. [Laughs]. But it caught the ear of the general public and they seemed to love it. I still get when I’m going to the airport or in a grocery store and be – ‘Do you know the way to San Jose, Dionne?’

BL: Did you hate performing it?

Well all of my songs are like my babies and I treat them that way so even though it wasn’t one of my favorites to record, as I’ve said on several occasions, I just cried all the way to the bank.

BL: You were on "Celebrity Apprentice" this season with quite a cast of characters. What was that experience like?

In a word – and it’s the only word I’ve been using – and it’s true to form – it was quite interesting. And that’s all I have to say about "The Apprentice." (She was voted off the women's team fairly early, for those who don't follow the show.)

BL: How do you like Donald Trump’s chances for becoming president in 2012?

Is he a Democrat?

BL: Definitely not.

Whatever he is – I’m a Democrat and that’s my answer.

BL: Shifting gears a little. You were part of the vanguard of celebrities that answered the call for HIV/AIDS activism in the mid-'80s. Your single, “That’s What Friends Are For,” with Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight raised over $3 million for the fledgling AMFAR in 1985.
What compelled you to campaign for AIDS awareness?

Well, of course I was appointed the Ambassador of Health for the United States by the Reagan administration, which ran through the first year of the Clinton administration. I traveled the entire world meeting with scientists, doctors, nurses and people with HIV/AIDS to get a handle with what this thing was and is. I felt it was vital that people be educated about it and know the kind of fight we were in – especially in the industry where it hit most prevalently first. It actually got a face with Rock Hudson’s death.
We just lost an incredible amount of incredibly talented people within the industry: hairdressers, make-up people, dancers, lighting people, cameramen – it just ran rampant through our industry.

And like most people, we sat around and talked about it quite a bit and I am a doer. I felt it was time to stop talking and to start doing. That became my graceful mandate from my heart and apparently from the hearts of so many others.

BL: Well, it meant the world to so many in our community when celebrities such as yourself took up the cause at a time when AIDS victims were treated like pariahs.

Educating people to what this really was and how it was contracted – it didn’t transfer to you if you hugged someone or took their hand. It was important to show compassion towards the fight they were facing.

BL: When you are gone Dionne, what do you hope people remember you most for – your music or your humanitarian effort?

I hope I’m just remembered for being Dionne, you know? I’m always who I am – on the stage, in the grocery store, wherever it is. I’m still who I am – Dionne.

BL: If there was anything you could do over in your career what would it be and why?

Not one thing. It’s just been an incredible ride I’ve been on and the journey hasn’t ended yet. The support I have received over these many years have just been overwhelming at times. I wouldn’t change one thing – the ups or the downs, it’s all a part of life, you know?

BL: Indeed they are. Can you tell us a bit about your book, “My Life As I See It?”

It’s a book that I swore I would never write. So I took a meeting with Simon & Schuster, who were very interested in my book. And the key was when they told me, "We want you to write the book that you want to write." That was the key. It gave me the opportunity to clear up many, many misnomers – what people thought, they now know because it came directly from me.

BL: Was it a daunting task to write your autobiography?

No, not at all. In fact, it was a lot of fun. Remembering all those incredible things that have occurred throughout my lifetime thus far and I’m looking forward to the next memories.

BL: I know something I wanted to touch upon. Are you still a big believer in psychics?

It’s not so much a belief as it’s that I’m curious about it – I think everybody is. It’s always interesting when you ask someone to read your sign and they give it to you. I would never live my life by it – I think that is definitely in God’s hands – but I think it’s an interesting gift. There are people that have that ability, to be able to see and it’s in the Bible that God said there would be people left on the Earth to lead and guide us.

BL: If there was only one thing readers could take away from reading your autobiography – what would it be and why?

The reasons for doing the book are the lessons I’ve learned. I’d hope that those lessons go throughout the book and are able to give some insight. Whether how to avoid some mistakes, work your way through them – I’d hope it’d be inspiring. Hopefully people can learn from my mistakes.



Richard Skipper accompanied by Fred Barton and introduced by Lee Roy Reams at The Zani's Furry Friends benefit at BIRDLAND May 7th, 2011


Happy Monday to you all!

All you have to do today is bask in the LOVE and talent that surrounds you!
(Buy THE THOUGHT EXCHANGE by David Friedman
http://www.librarytalespublishing.com/products/The-Thought-Exchange.html)

Tomorrow's blog will be YOU TELL ME...the first three suggestions I receive!

Please contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/foundation.htm
TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED WEEK!
Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com