Don Black (musician)
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Don Black OBE (born Gerald Blackstone, 21 June 1938, London[1]) is an English lyricist. His works have included numerous musicals, movie themes and hit songs. He began his music industry career as an office boy with a music publishing firm, and later worked as a song-plugger. He also had a brief spell as a stand-up comic.
He was personal manager to the singer, Matt Monro for many years and also provided songs for the singer (usually writing English language lyrics to continental songs). These included "Walk Away" (music: Udo Jürgens) and "For Mamma" (music: Charles Aznavour).
In collaboration with composer John Barry, he wrote the title song for the 1966 film Born Free, which won the Oscar for Best Song that year, as well as providing another hit for Matt Monro. Black's other movie song credits include the themes for several James Bond films, including Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, The Man with the Golden Gun, plus "Surrender" from Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough. He later collaborated with Barry again on Out of Africa, Dances with Wolves, and their ill-fated Broadway musical, The Little Prince and the Aviator.
"On Days Like These", the title song of the original version of the movie The Italian Job was written by Don Black, to music by Quincy Jones.
He has also provided lyrics for Jule Styne, Henry Mancini, Elmer Bernstein, Michel Legrand and Marvin Hamlisch, and has had two U.S. number one hits, Michael Jackson's "Ben" (music: Walter Scharf) and Lulu's "To Sir, with Love" (music: Mark London).
Black's stage musical credits include Billy (music: John Barry), Bar Mitzvah Boy (music: Jule Styne), Dear Anyone (music: Geoff Stephens), Budgie (music: Mort Shuman) and several Andrew Lloyd Webber shows - the 1980 song-cycle, Tell Me on a Sunday, which was performed by Marti Webb (whom he also managed for a time); Aspects of Love, which propelled Michael Ball to stardom; and, together with Christopher Hampton, the musical adaptation of the Billy Wilder film Sunset Boulevard. In 2002 he worked with Indian composer A. R. Rahman on the musical Bombay Dreams.
He also co-wrote with Jim Steinman the single "Is Nothing Sacred," which was sung by Meat Loaf.
Black lives with his wife of over 40 years (Shirley) in London, England.
[edit] References
- Wrestling With Elephants (The Authorized Biography of Don Black) by James Inverne (Sanctuary Publishing, 2003)
[edit] External links
- Don Black at the Internet Movie Database
- Don Black at the Internet Broadway Database
- James Bond Composer David Arnold to Present Award to Don Black
