Pop songwriting legend Burt Bacharach is to actively co-write with Universal Music Publishing’s (UMPG’s) Nashville songwriters after signing an exclusive administration deal with the company for North America.
Bacharach has written over 70 Top 40 hits and won eight Grammys Awards, three Academy Awards, and an Emmy Award. He remains active as a composer, penning new collaborations with Bernie Taupin and J.D. Souther, as well as a Broadway-bound musical he’s completing with Elvis Costello.
Bacharach’s writing plans with UMPG’s modern chart-topping Nashville songwriters begins this month with Lori McKenna, who co-wrote Hunter Hayes’ hit, I Want Crazy.
“Burt Bacharach is simply one of the greatest songwriters of all time. We are honored that he has chosen UMPG as his new home. We look forward to working his legendary catalog and couldn’t be more excited about being involved with his new work as he continues his storied career,” said Zach Horowitz.
“It’s great to be able to work with people who have the same passion and love for songwriting that I do, and Zach, Kent and his staff have made it clear that for them, the music comes first. I’m excited to continue working to make great songs with the UMPG team and their songwriters,” said Burt Bacharach.
“When we met with Burt, I was thrilled to learn that he wants to especially focus on county music, a genre where he enjoyed one of his first big hits with ‘The Story of My Life’ for Marty Robbins. His classic melodies are the perfect marriage for our Nashville storytellers,” said Kent Earls, Executive Vice President/General Manager, UMPG Nashville. “We and our UMPG Nashville writers are looking forward to some magic collaborations.”
Bacharach’s agreement with UMPG encompasses the entirety of his New Hidden Valley Music catalogue including the timeless classics he crafted with Hal David for Dionne Warwick (“I Say A Little Prayer,” “Walk On By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” and many more), as well as the duo’s numerous pop hits (“This Guy’s In Love With You,” “(There’s) Always Something There to Remind Me,” “(They Long to Be) Close to You,”) and compositions for film (“Raindrops Keep on Fallin’ On My Head” for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid).
Bacharach’s agreement also covers his celebrated collaborations with UMPG songwriter Carol Bayer Sager (“That’s What Friends Are For,” “Heartlight”) as well as his acclaimed solo material as a recording artist, including his Grammy-winning album At This Time.
Bacharach’s songs have been recorded by artists in virtually every genre of music, including Luther Vandross, Elvis Presley,Diana Krall, The Carpenters, Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66, Bette Midler, Neil Diamond, The Beatles, Tom Jones,Stan Getz, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Costello, The Fifth Dimension, Isaac Hayes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Elton John,The Shirelles, Dusty Springfield, Perry Como, Gene Pitney, Cilla Black, Herb Alpert, Roberta Flack, Christopher Cross, Jackie DeShannon, The Drifters, Cher, Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Ron Isley, and Michael McDonald.
UMPG already administers Bacharach’s music in France, Australia, Greece, and Southeast Asia (excluding Japan).Music Business Worldwide
