Washington
11 August 2008
Whenever singer Steve Tyrell is asked where he attended college, he answers "Bacharach University." That's because Tyrell worked side-by-side with famed songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the first 10 years of his career. As VOA's Doug Levine tells us, Tyrell pays tribute to his former collaborator with a collection of Bacharach-David favorites that he calls the album he always wanted to make.
It's the album Steve Tyrell always dreamed of making, but he never thought it would take six years to complete. He also never imagined that his wife Stephanie, a songwriter and producer in her own right, would be diagnosed with cancer. It ultimately took her life in 2003.
Determined to work through his loss, Tyrell turned to what he does best, producing, arranging and performing, using the music of Burt Bacharach and Hal David for inspiration.
"The Look Of Love," a song made famous by singer Dionne Warwick, was one of many Bacharach-David hits Tyrell worked on as a music supervisor at Scepter Records in the 1960s. While there, he also contributed to the success of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," recruiting fellow Texas singer B.J. Thomas to sing it for the film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Almost 40 years later, Tyrell delivers his own version of the Oscar-winning tune.
Steve Tyrell has had an illustrious solo career, beginning with his first collection of pop standards in 1999. His credits range from movie soundtracks to a Frank Sinatra tribute album.
Of his latest effort, Tyrell says, "The making of this album was like no other." He adds, "The memories that come with these songs helped me through my most difficult days."
One highlight on Back To Bacharach, is Steve Tyrell singing "What The World Needs Now," featuring Rod Stewart, James Taylor, Martina McBride, Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach.