MARCH 2 • 2023 | 47

“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My 
Head,” “The Look of Love,” 
“
April Fools” and “
Arthur’s 
Theme.” 
Burt was 94 and forever 
cool. Others try to look and 
dress like him, but he never 
had to try. His style was just 
natural for him: sneakers, jog-
gers, white T-shirts and a cash-
mere sweater or scarf over his 
shoulders or a Patagonia black 
jacket; his sunglasses atop his 
head. He never changed his 
trademark silver/white hair to 
a trendy slicked-back style or 
(heaven forbid! ) razor spikes.
When famous stars try to 
look young, they often just 
look ridiculous. Burt was 
naturally forever young. His 
style onstage was also timeless: 
black-tie years ago and, in 
recent years, he chose a navy 
cashmere blazer, jeans and his 
comfy sneakers. Backstage in 
his dressing room, he had jars 
of peanut butter. “It’s a good 
source of protein,” he told me. 
He also reminded me of the 
importance of always staying 
hydrated. I never saw him 
without bottled water in his 
hand or near his Steinway. 
He talked a lot about exercise 
and his daily routine and, at 
one time, he played celebrity/
pro tennis matches. He loved 
horses and owned winning 
racehorses.
I observed so much about 
this brilliant man and for so 
many decades.
In the 1970s, while kids my 
age were listening to Chicago, 
the Who and the Moody 
Blues, I was listening to Burt 
Bacharach. I collected every-
thing and anything about 
him, spending hours looking 
at photos of him. In high 
school, I begged the owner of 
Marty’s Records in downtown 
Birmingham to give me the 
life-size cardboard cutout of 
Burt on display in the store 
window. 
One night, my parents 

thought they heard an intruder 
in the house. The Birmingham 
police arrived and began 
checking each room. We heard 
a loud gasp. The officer had 
walked into my bedroom and 
was startled by a guy wearing a 
tuxedo and smiling. My “card-
board Burt” survived and trav-
eled to my dorm room at the 
University of Arizona and now 
resides in my studio office.

OUR FIRST MEETING
I will always treasure a column 
written by the beloved Danny 
Raskin about my first meeting 
with Burt Bacharach. Here’s 
what happened … 
My dad called theater 
impresario Joey Nederlander 
and asked if he could possibly 
arrange for me to meet Burt 
when he performed at Pine 
Knob with Anthony Newley.
Joey Nederlander said, 
“YES!” My dream came true!
I waited backstage in front 

of his dressing room with my 
dad and Joey. Burt opened the 
door wearing a white terry 
robe monogrammed with his 
initials in royal blue. His hair 
was still wet from the shower. 
I felt like Barbra Streisand in 
Funny Girl when she opened 
her dressing room door and 
she saw Nicky Arnstein for 
the first time and said, “Hello, 
gorgeous!”
Burt Bacharach is not only 
brilliant, he’s also movie star 
gorgeous! 
He asked me, “Did I enjoy 
the concert?” No response. 
He asked, “What was your 
favorite song tonight?” Silence. 
“Did I like the movie med-
ley?” Again, silence. 
His attempt to engage me 
in conversation was pointless. 
Yet, he still tried, “Would you 
like me to sign your program 
book?”
I managed to nod. He 
signed my program book, and 

I walked away.
This once-in-a-lifetime 
opportunity to talk to Burt 
Bacharach, and I was speech-
less. I knew everything about 
him, and yet I couldn’t say one 
word. It was humiliating. I can 
still see the expression on my 
dad’s face. 
I became determined to 
never act like this again if 
given a second chance.
And I was given another 
chance. 
Through the many decades, 
I have never missed a concert 
of his or a Dionne Warwick 
concert in Michigan. I have 
traveled to other cities to see 
them, too. 
When I was 14, I saved $18 
for a front row seat at The 
Greek Theatre when I was 
visiting family in Los Angeles. 
I went alone and the famous 
movie-star Angie Dickinson, 
his then-wife, was seated 
behind me. I read in his mem-
oir how their daughter Nikki 
described listening to her dad’s 
music so perfectly: “Going to 
heaven on a velvet slide.” 
His music makes us dream 
and remember the most spe-
cial times in our lives. Seeing 
him in concert is one of mine. 
His distinctive gentleness in 
the way his fingers touched 
the piano keys … His hands 
delicately created beauty. It was 
magical to watch. 
I loved the way audiences 
always sing along to the finale, 
“What The World Needs Now 
Is Love.” 
What the world needs now is 

 love, sweet love. 
It’s the only thing that there’s 
just too little of .
What the world needs now is 

 love, sweet love. 
No not just for some, but for 
 everyone. 

AN IMPACTFUL CAREER
In my book, The Key: 
Celebrated People Unlock Their 
Secrets To Life, I asked Burt, 

ABOVE: Burt Bacharach and Linda Solomon. FACING PAGE: Burt in 
his sneakers singing “Alfie.”

continued on page 48

