The New Orleans born singer-song writer Randy Newman (62), with his caustic, satirical lyrics, has been one of Uncle Sam’s severest critics for years now. Newman was born into a musical family; two of his uncles were well-known soundtrack- composers. It was a talent, as the world would find out later, that was also stored in Randy’s genes. At seventeen he worked as a professional songwriter for a publishing company in California. At the same time he studied music at the University of California, but he dropped out when someone landed him a record deal at Reprise Records. His first two albums didn’t do much in America; something that would become a pattern in his long career. In Holland and Europe he’s hailed as a genius, but a major breakthrough to the public in America still hasn’t occurred. At the beginning of his career, he did make a name for himself behind the scenes as the composer of hits like Just One Smile (Gene Pitney), I Don’t Want to Hear it Anymore (Dusty Springfield), Mama Told Me Not to Come (Three Dog Night) and I Think it’s Going to Rain Today (Judy Collins). Also as a soundtrack-composer (Monsters Inc., Toy Story, Meet the Parents etc.) he got the recognition – and even an Oscar for the song If I Didn’t Have You from Monsters Inc.! – that he never received for his regular oeuvre. Newman wasn’t really impressed by that award. The man who made brilliant albums like 12 Songs, Good Old Boys and Sail Away even proclaimed that the Oscar tasted a bit funny. Referring to his latest solo-album The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1 he said: “Each and every song on that album is better than that tune.”
