Today, one of the most prolific songwriters and composers the music industry has ever seen would have turned 95. Burt Bacharach, who passed away on February 8, will forever be remembered for the many iconic hits he wrote in a career spanning more than 50 years.  “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”, “That’s What Friends Are For”, “Promises, Promises”, “I Say a Little Prayer”, “Walk on By”, “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”, “The Look of Love” … Songs for the ages that embodied the memorable soundtrack of an era.
He earned three Oscars, eight Grammys including a Lifetime Achievement Award.  In 1970, he won his first Golden Globe for the score of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and his second in 1982 with “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”, from Arthur. On top of that he got another five nominations.
In May 2012, the Library of Congress honored him and his longtime lyricist Hal David with the “Gershwin Prize for Popular Song”. The trophy was presented by then-president Barack Obama that night during a tribute where Mike Myers, Sheryl Crowe, Lyle Lovett, amongst others, serenated the recipient and Stevie Wonder sang a rendition of Bacharach’s  own favorite song “Alfie”.
Bacharach was born in Missouri, grew up in Queens, but lived most of his life in Los Angeles. He married four times.  His second wife was actress Angie Dickinson. After his marriage to wife number three, fellow songwriter Carole Bayer Sager, faltered, he said: “It’s hard to be married to someone in the business. She and I wrote some really good songs – we had three number one hits together. But I think you have to be grown-up, and I don’t think I’ve been particularly grown-up in some of these marriages that I’ve had.”
As incredible as he was as a composer, he had that and another thing in common with Cole Porter – neither of them could sing. For decades the biggest singers clamored to interpret his songs. From Marlene Dietrich to Dionne Warwick to Barbra Streisand, Doris Day or Tom Jones. Dietrich, with whom he often toured around the world for many years,  once said in a TV-special: “I’d like you to meet a man I admire, and I wish I could say he’s my composer. But that isn’t true. He is everybody’s composer.”
And that is how the world will continue to see him.