Burt Freeman Bacharach (/ˈbækəræk/ BAK-ə-rak; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer, pianist, and singer who has composed hundreds of popular hit songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with popular lyricist Hal David. A six-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Academy Award winner, Bacharach\'s songs have been recorded by more than 1,000 different artists. As of 2014[update], he had written 73 US and 52 UK Top 40 hits. He is considered one of the most important composers of 20th-century popular music.\n', '

His music is characterized by unusual chord progressions, influenced by his background in jazz harmony, and uncommon selections of instruments for small orchestras. Most of Bacharach & David\'s hits were written specifically for and performed by Dionne Warwick, but earlier associations (from 1957 to 1963) saw the composing duo work with Marty Robbins, Perry Como, Gene McDaniels, and Jerry Butler. Following the initial success of these collaborations, Bacharach went on to write hits for Gene Pitney, Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield, Jackie DeShannon, Bobbie Gentry, Tom Jones, Herb Alpert, B. J. Thomas, the Carpenters, among numerous other artists. He arranged, conducted, and produced much of his recorded output.\n', '

Songs that he co-wrote which have topped the Billboard Hot 100 include "The Look of Love" (1967), "This Guy\'s in Love with You" (1968), "Raindrops Keep Fallin\' on My Head" (1969), "(They Long to Be) Close to You" (1970), "Arthur\'s Theme (Best That You Can Do)" (1981), "That\'s What Friends Are For" (1986) and "On My Own" (1986).\n', '

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