Burt Bacharach's Best (My Music)

For over half a century, the immensely popular and immediately identifiable melodies of celebrated composer Burt Bacharach have touched millions of music lovers around the world. Bacharach established himself in the 1960s as a topical successor to his Tin Pan Alley predecessors, creating some of the most beloved and successful pop music ever to grace radio, television and film.

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Composer Burt Bacharach created some of the most successful pop music ever to grace radio, television and film.

Courtesy of TJL Productions

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Burt Bacharach with lyricist Hal David.

Courtesy of TJL Productions

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Burt Bacharach with Dionne Warwick, who had a string of Bacharach-penned hits with “Walk On By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Alfie.”

Courtesy of TJL Productions

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Songstress Dusty Springfield and composer Burt Bacharach together perform “A House Is Not a Home.”

Courtesy of TJL Productions

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Singer Jackie DeShannon performs her hit rendition of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David anthem "What the World Needs Now Is Love."

Courtesy of TJL Productions

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The Carpenters, Karen and Richard, sing their #1 hit from 1970, “(They Long to Be) Close to You.”

Courtesy of TJL Productions

Courtesy of TJL Productions

Hosted by Robert Wagner, this first-time ever archival PBS special includes all the original artists performing Bacharach’s hits with rare footage and clips from the 1960s -1980s. "Burt Bacharach’S Best" (MY MUSIC) premiered on PBS stations on June 1, 2013.

Bacharach teamed with lyricist Hal David for a stunning run of classic songs, many in tandem with Dionne Warwick (“Walk On By,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” “Alfie”).

British songbird Dusty Springfield introduced the seductive standard “The Look Of Love,” while Tom Jones popularized the playful “What’s New Pussycat?,” Herb Alpert romanticized with “This Guy’s In Love With You,” and Jackie DeShannon touched hearts with the iconic “What The World Needs Now Is Love.”

The smashes continued in the seventies when The Carpenters reached #1 with “(They Long To Be) Close To You,” following another number one evergreen, “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head,” the Oscar-winning tune sung by B.J. Thomas in the film "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid."

Soul-pop ensemble The Fifth Dimension presents the sultry ballad “One Less Bell To Answer.” The 1980s witnessed more Bacharach chart-toppers such as “Arthur’s Theme” sung by Christopher Cross and “That’s What Friends Are For” performed by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Elton John.

Burt Bacharach continues to perform concert dates across the globe and his autobiography, "Anyone Who Had A Heart," has just been published by HarperCollins.

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