Carole Bayer Sager
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Carole Bayer Sager (born March 8, 1947 in New York City, New York) is an American lyricist, songwriter and singer best-known for writing the lyrics to many popular songs performed on Broadway and in Hollywood films.
Bayer Sager wrote her first pop hit "A Groovy Kind Of Love" in 1966 while a student at the New York City High School of Music and Art. It was recorded by a British invasion band, The Mindbenders, whose version was a worldwide hit (it reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100). The song was subsequently recorded by Sonny & Cher and Petula Clark. Phil Collins later redid the song for the film Buster; this version hit number one in 1988.
Her first recording as a singer was the 1977 album "Carole Bayer Sager" which included a #1 international single, "You're Moving Out Today". The album went platinum in Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom. It was followed by a second album "...Too" (1978), and a third and last album co-produced by Burt Bacharach "Sometimes Late at Night" (1981) which included a top 30 hit single "Stronger Than Before" (later, Dionne Warwick and Chaka Khan recorded).
Many of Bayer Sager's early songs were co-written with her former husband, composer Burt Bacharach.
She has also collaborated with Marvin Hamlisch, Peter Allen, Bruce Roberts, Neil Sedaka, David Foster, Albert Hammond, Quincy Jones, Michael McDonald, James Ingram, Donald Fagen, Babyface and Clint Eastwood (for film True Crime).
Sager has won an Academy Award (six nominations), a Grammy (nine nominations), two Golden Globe awards (seven nominations) and a Tony award (two nominations). She was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 1987.
Sager won her Oscar for Best Song in 1981 "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do). She shared the award with co-writers Peter Allen, Burt Bacharach and Christopher Cross.
Sager received the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1987 for "That's What Friends Are For" which she co-wrote with Burt Bacharach. The song was originally written for the 1982 film Night Shift, and recorded for the movie by Rod Stewart. The song was honored for its 1986 cover version by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and Elton John, which became a number one hit, raising millions of dollars for AIDS.
She graduated from New York University (NYU) where she majored in English, Dramatic Arts and Speech.
Sager now lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband Robert Daly, former chairman CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team and former chairman of Warner Brothers. Daly is currently Chairman (CEO) of the charitable organization Save The Children as well as as an advsior to Tom Freston and Brad Grey at Paramount Pictures (Viacom). Sager and Daly co-chair the Los Angeles Advisory Board of DonorsChoose.
Carole has one son from her previous marriage, Christopher Bacharach.
May 2006, she was honored at a lunch at NYU's Steinhart School and later that evening received the Distinguished Alumni Award from New York University.
[edit] Selected songs
- Peter Allen ("Fly Away" "Everything Old Is New Again", etc...)
- Bette Midler ("Blueberry Pie", "My One True Friend (Theme from One True Thing)", etc...)
- Melissa Manchester ("Midnight Blue", "Come In From The Rain", "Don't Cry Out Loud", "Theme from Ice Castles (Through the Eyes of Love)", etc..)
- Helen Reddy ("A Bit of OK", "Ah, My Sister", "Never Say Goodbye (Theme form Continental Divide)
- Dolly Parton ("You're The Only One", "Heartbreaker", "The Day I Fall In Love (Theme from Beethoven 2nd)
- Carly Simon ("Nobody Does It Better (Theme from The Spy Who Loved Me)"
- Dusty Springfield ("Dream On", "Home to Myself", "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love", etc...)
- Rita Coolidge ("Fool That I Am (song from Coast to Coast)" "I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love")
- Bernadette Peters ("Only Wounded" and "Sweet Alibi")
- Barbra Streisand ("Niagara", "Love Light", "You and Me for Alway" "One More Time Around")
- Liza Minnelli ("More Than I Like You", "Don't Cry Out Loud")
- Carole King ("Anyone At All (Theme from 'You've Got Mail')").
- Rod Stewart (That's What Friends Are For (theme from Night Shift)")
- Dionne & Friends (Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Wonder) ("That's What Friends Are For")
- Dionne Warwick ("Extravagant Gestures" "Love Power" "Stronger Than Before", etc...)
- Diana Ross (It's My Turn)
- Shirley Bassey ("Better Off Alone" etc...)
- Roberta Flack ("Maybe (Theme from Romantic Comedy and "Making Love")
- Aretha Franklin ("Someone Else's Eyes", "Ever Changing Times" "It's My Turn")
- Randy Crawford ("One Hello (theme from I Ought To Be In Pictures)")
- Patti LaBelle ("On My Own", "Sleep With Me Tonight", "Need a Little Faith")
- Anita Baker ("When You Love Someone (Them from Forget Paris)")
- Frank Sinatra ("You and Me (We Wanted It All)")
- John Travolta ("Back Doors Crying")
- Leo Sayer ("When I Need You")
- Neil Diamond ("Heartlight" "On The Way To The Sky" "Front Page Story" "Crazy", etc..)
- Christopher Cross ("Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do")
- Kenny Rogers ("They Don't Make Them Like They Used To (Theme from Tough Guys)
- Johnny Mathis ("Fly Away" "When I Need You" "Midnight Blue")
- Michael Jackson ("It's The Falling In Love", "You Are My Life", "We've Had Enough")
- Ray Charles ("Don't You Love Me Anymore")
- Bob Dylan ("Under Your Spell")
- Whitney Houston ("(Try It) On My Own")
- Reba McEntire ("On My Own")
- Céline Dion & Andrea Bocelli ("The Prayer (Theme from Quest For Camelot)
- Josh Groban & Charlotte Church ("The Prayer")
- The Corrs ("I Never Loved You Anyway" and "Don't Say You Love Me")
- Diana Krall ("Why Should I Care (from True Crime)
[edit] Works for stage
- Georgy (1970) - musical - lyricist
- Dancin' (1978) - revue - featured lyricist for "If It Feels Good, Let It Ride" and "Easy"
- They're Playing Our Song (1979) - musical - lyricist
- Up in One (1979) - revue - featured songwriter
- The Madwoman of Central Park West (1979) - musical - featured songwriter
- Barbara Cook: A Concert for the Theatre (1987) - concert - featured songwriter
- The Boy from Oz (2003) - musical - featured songwriter with Peter Allen
