Song Hall To Induct Don Black, Bobby Weinstein, Teddy Randazzo
BMI songwriting/composing greats Don Black, Bobby Weinstein and the late Teddy Randazzo are among the inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year, according to an announcement by SHOF Chairman/CEO Hal David. The organization, which is dedicated to recognizing the work and lives of those composers and lyricists who create popular music around the world, returns for its highly anticipated 38th annual induction and awards dinner, scheduled for Thursday, June 7 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Special award honorees will be announced at a later date.
Lyricist/librettist Don Black has penned such major pop hits as Michael Jackson’s “Ben,” Hot Chocolate’s “I’ll Put You Together Again” and the enduring movie theme “To Sir with Love.” Key songs in Black’s catalog include “Born Free,” “Come September,” “Diamonds Are Forever,” “For Mama” and “To Sir With Love.” He has collaborated with a number of SHOF inductees in his long career, including composer John Barry on the theme songs for the James Bond movies Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, and Man with the Golden Gun. He also teamed with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber on such hit musicals as Tell Me on a Sunday, Sunset Boulevard and Aspects of Love. Other pairings include Quincy Jones on the movie soundtrack for The Italian Job.
Foremost among the many songs that the team of Bobby Weinstein and Teddy Randazzo wrote were “Goin’ Out of My Head,” a hit for Little Anthony & the Imperials, which tallied over six million performances, and “Hurt So Bad,” also a hit for Little Anthony & the Imperials, that accounted for over four million performances. In addition, the duo wrote such classics as “Gonna Take a Miracle,” “I’m on the Outside Looking In,” “Pretty Blue Eyes” and “Have You Looked into Your Heart,” and continued writing together until Randazzo’s death in 2003. Key songs in the Weinstein/Randazzo catalog include “Goin’ Out of My Head,” “Hurts So Bad,” “Gonna Take a Miracle,” “I’m on the Outside Looking In” and “Pretty Blue Eyes.”
Also slated for induction this year are Jackson Brown, Irving Burgie and Michael Masser.
Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame begin at $1,000 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, (212) 573-6933. Net proceeds from the event will go towards the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The SHOF not only celebrates songwriters and educates the public on their great achievements, but is also devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. Full biographies and a complete list of inductees are available at the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Virtual Museum at songhall.org.
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