Back To Bacharach
Back To Bacharach really is a dream job for me. I remember listening to a cassette on loop in the car on the way to school. Mum and I would sing along to Gene Pitney’s 24 hours from Tulsa at the top of our voices. And now I get to do it on stage! Well, not the Gene Pitney classics but close enough.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with this show for a few years now, but still I’m finding people, including some of my friends and family, don’t know what it is! So…
What is Back To Bacharach?
Back To Bacharach is a concert performance celebrating the music of the composer Burt Bacharach. Four fabulous and individual vocalists accompanied by an eight piece band; that’s piano, drums, bass, guitar, keys and a three part horn section. Hearing this kind of line-up live in this digital age of backing tracks and electronic music is a real treat!
Who is Burt Bacharach?
Burt Bacharach is an American composer, most famous for his vast contribution to the easy listening and orchestral pop genres from the 1950s to 1980s. Working predominantly with lyricist Hal David, Bacharach is considered to be one of the most important contributors to 20th century pop music. His most famous songs were originally written for Dionne Warwick but due to his success he went on to write hits for a wealth of artists including Gene Pitney, Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield, Jackie DeShannon, Bobbie Gentry, Tom Jones, Herb Alpert, B. J. Thomas and the Carpenters.
Would I know any of his songs?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock your whole life, then I’d have to say yes! As I just said, Burt Bacharach wrote for an incredible number of famous singers and if you were alive during the 1960s I’m sure lots of his songs are on the soundtrack to your life! But if, like me, you weren’t around at the time you will still recognise most of the songs that we play. Why? Because Burt Bacharach songs have been repeatedly covered, used in films, TV shows and commercials. Remember these?
What the world needs now is love
Originally written in 1965 and performed by Jackie DeShannon. It was most recently covered by MIssi Hale for The Boss Baby soundtrack in 2017.
Say A Little Prayer
Originally recorded by Dionne Warwick in 1967, Say a little prayer has been covered recently by artists including Lianne La Havas, MOGUAI & Polina, the cast of Glee and Jane McDonald and the song was even used to advertise a coffee creamer and sung by Wayne Brady in 2016.
Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head
Originaly written for the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969, Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head has been used in many films since, including: Forrest Gump in 1994, Spy Hard in 1996, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind in 2002 and even Spider-Man 2 in 2004.
Where can I see Back To Bacharach?
The show is touring around the UK, so look out for us at a theatre near you! You can find details of shows coming up on my Gig dates page or receive updates and news by liking Back To Bacharach on Facebook.
Hope to see you at a show soon!
We’ve just been blown away listening / watching your show in the Octagon, Yeovil. Your voices are all superb, it was an immensely enjoyable evening, thank you. Burt Bacharach would have been proud of your rendition of his songs, along with your musicians your performance was faultless. ‘Well done’ sounds a bit bland but you can be sure we will look out for any future performances. Thank you again.