Al Kasha
Al Kasha | |
---|---|
Birth name | Alfred Kasha |
Born | (1937-01-22)January 22, 1937 New York City, U.S. |
Died | September 14, 2020(2020-09-14) (aged 83) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Genres | Popular music |
Occupation(s) | Songwriter |
Website | alkasha |
Alfred Kasha (January 22, 1937 – September 14, 2020)[1] was an American songwriter, whose songs include "The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure.[2]
Life
Kasha started songwriting and producing at a young age and was hired as a producer at Columbia Records aged 22. He worked at the Brill Building in 1959 alongside writers and artists like Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Burt Bacharach, Hal David, and Neil Diamond. He worked with many great artists such as Aretha Franklin ("Operation Heartbreak" and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody"), Neil Diamond, Donna Summer ("I'm A Fire"), Charles Aznavour ("Dance In The Old Fashioned Way"), Bobby Darin ("Irresistible You"), and Jackie Wilson ("I'm Coming on Back To You," "My Empty Arms," "Forever And A Day," "Each Night I Dream Of You," "Lonely Life," and "Sing And Tell The Blues So Long").[3] Kasha is most noted for his years of collaboration with songwriter Joel Hirschhorn. The two wrote and collaborated on many nominated and award-winning songs for many music groups, movies, and musicals. The Peppermint Rainbow's "Will You Be Staying After Sunday" is just one example of the many songs they wrote for groups during their time.
Accolades
The songwriting duo twice won the Academy Award for Best Song: for "The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure in 1973[4] and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno in 1975,[5] both made famous by Maureen McGovern. They also received two more Academy Award nominations for their work in the 1977 Disney film Pete's Dragon, for Best Song Score as well as Best Song ("Candle On The Water," sung by Helen Reddy).[6][7]
Along with Hirschhorn, Kasha also received two Tony nominations (one for Copperfield and the other for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers),[8] two Grammy nominations, an Emmy, four Golden Globe nominations, and a People's Choice Award. They also composed the theme song to the short-lived 1990s game show The Challengers.[9][10]
Later years
Kasha wrote three books: If They Ask You Can Write A Song, Notes On Broadway, and his autobiography, Reaching The Morning After.
Kasha was married to Ceil Kasha and had a daughter, Dana Kasha-Cohen. He suffered with Parkinson's disease in his latter years.
Kasha died on September 14, 2020, at the age of 83.[1]
Discography
Singles
- "Sing (And Tell The Blues "So Long")" Sid Wyche, Al Kasha / "One Of Them" Al Kasha, Hank Hunter 1960
References
- ^ a b Willman, Chris (September 15, 2020). "Al Kasha, Oscar-Winning Songwriter of 'The Morning After,' Dies at 83". Variety.com.
- ^ Fred Bronson - The Billboard Book of Number One Hits 1997 - "Writers: Al Kasha Joel Hirschhorn Producer: Carl Maduri August 4, 1973 2 weeks It was a Thursday, the 30th of March, in 1972, when songwriters ... Excited by the opportunity, Kasha and Hirschhorn asked how long they had to write the song."
- ^ "Al Kasha Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ "1973 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ "1975 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ Al Kasha. Monday, November 24, 2003 Interview by Dan Kimpel Archived November 14, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Songwriterstudio.com
- ^ "1978 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ "Al Kasha (Writer)". Playbill.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ Leiber, Sarah Jae. "Al Kasha, Academy Award and Tony Nominated Composer and Songwriter, Dies at 83". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ Evans, Greg (September 15, 2020). "Al Kasha Dies: Oscar-Winning 'The Morning After' Composer Was 83". Deadline.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
External links
- Al Kasha at IMDb
- Al Kasha discography at Discogs
- Al Kasha's website
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- "The Continental"
- Music: Con Conrad
- Lyrics: Herb Magidson (1934)
- "Lullaby of Broadway"
- Music: Harry Warren
- Lyrics: Al Dubin (1935)
- "The Way You Look Tonight"
- Music: Jerome Kern
- Lyrics: Dorothy Fields (1936)
- "Sweet Leilani"
- Music and lyrics: Harry Owens (1937)
- "Thanks for the Memory"
- Music: Ralph Rainger
- Lyrics: Leo Robin (1938)
- "Over the Rainbow"
- Music: Harold Arlen
- Lyrics: E. Y. Harburg (1939)
- "When You Wish Upon a Star"
- Music: Leigh Harline
- Lyrics: Ned Washington (1940)
- "The Last Time I Saw Paris"
- Music: Jerome Kern
- Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II (1941)
- "White Christmas"
- Music and lyrics: Irving Berlin (1942)
- "You'll Never Know"
- Music: Harry Warren
- Lyrics: Mack Gordon (1943)
- "Swinging on a Star"
- Music: Jimmy Van Heusen
- Lyrics: Johnny Burke (1944)
- "It Might as Well Be Spring"
- Music: Richard Rodgers
- Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II (1945)
- "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe"
- Music: Harry Warren
- Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1946)
- "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"
- Music: Allie Wrubel
- Lyrics: Ray Gilbert (1947)
- "Buttons and Bows"
- Music: Jay Livingston
- Lyrics: Ray Evans (1948)
- "Baby, It's Cold Outside"
- Music and lyrics: Frank Loesser (1949)
- "Mona Lisa"
- Music and lyrics: Ray Evans and Jay Livingston (1950)
- "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening"
- Music: Hoagy Carmichael
- Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1951)
- "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')"
- Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
- Lyrics: Ned Washington (1952)
- "Secret Love"
- Music: Sammy Fain
- Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster (1953)
- "Three Coins in the Fountain"
- Music: Jule Styne
- Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1954)
- "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing"
- Music: Sammy Fain
- Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster (1955)
- "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)"
- Music and lyrics: Jay Livingston and Ray Evans (1956)
- "All the Way"
- Music: Jimmy Van Heusen
- Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1957)
- "Gigi"
- Music: Frederick Loewe
- Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner (1958)
- "High Hopes"
- Music: Jimmy Van Heusen
- Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1959)
- "Never on Sunday"
- Music and lyrics: Manos Hatzidakis (1960)
- "Moon River"
- Music: Henry Mancini
- Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1961)
- "Days of Wine and Roses"
- Music: Henry Mancini
- Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1962)
- "Call Me Irresponsible"
- Music: Jimmy Van Heusen
- Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1963)
- "Chim Chim Cher-ee"
- Music and lyrics: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman (1964)
- "The Shadow of Your Smile"
- Music: Johnny Mandel
- Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster (1965)
- "Born Free"
- Music: John Barry
- Lyrics: Don Black (1966)
- "Talk to the Animals"
- Music and lyrics: Leslie Bricusse (1967)
- "The Windmills of Your Mind"
- Music: Michel Legrand
- Lyrics: Alan and Marilyn Bergman (1968)
- "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head"
- Music: Burt Bacharach
- Lyrics: Hal David (1969)
- "For All We Know"
- Music: Fred Karlin
- Lyrics: Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin (1970)
- "Theme from Shaft"
- Music and lyrics: Isaac Hayes (1971)
- "The Morning After"
- Music and lyrics: Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn (1972)
- "The Way We Were"
- Music: Marvin Hamlisch
- Lyrics: Alan and Marilyn Bergman (1973)
- "We May Never Love Like This Again"
- Music and lyrics: Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn (1974)
- "I'm Easy"
- Music and lyrics: Keith Carradine (1975)
- "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)"
- Music: Barbra Streisand
- Lyrics: Paul Williams (1976)
- "You Light Up My Life"
- Music and lyrics: Joseph Brooks (1977)
- "Last Dance"
- Music and lyrics: Paul Jabara (1978)
- "It Goes Like It Goes"
- Music: David Shire
- Lyrics: Norman Gimbel (1979)
- "Fame"
- Music: Michael Gore
- Lyrics: Dean Pitchford (1980)
- "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"
- Music and lyrics: Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen (1981)
- "Up Where We Belong"
- Music: Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie
- Lyrics: Will Jennings (1982)
- "Flashdance... What a Feeling"
- Music: Giorgio Moroder
- Lyrics: Keith Forsey and Irene Cara (1983)
- "I Just Called to Say I Love You"
- Music and lyrics: Stevie Wonder (1984)
- "Say You, Say Me"
- Music and lyrics: Lionel Richie (1985)
- "Take My Breath Away"
- Music: Giorgio Moroder
- Lyrics: Tom Whitlock (1986)
- "(I've Had) The Time of My Life"
- Music: Franke Previte, John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz
- Lyrics: Franke Previte (1987)
- "Let the River Run"
- Music and lyrics: Carly Simon (1988)
- "Under the Sea"
- Music: Alan Menken
- Lyrics: Howard Ashman (1989)
- "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)"
- Music and lyrics: Stephen Sondheim (1990)
- "Beauty and the Beast"
- Music: Alan Menken
- Lyrics: Howard Ashman (1991)
- "A Whole New World"
- Music: Alan Menken
- Lyrics: Tim Rice (1992)
- "Streets of Philadelphia"
- Music and lyrics: Bruce Springsteen (1993)
- "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
- Music: Elton John
- Lyrics: Tim Rice (1994)
- "Colors of the Wind"
- Music: Alan Menken
- Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz (1995)
- "You Must Love Me"
- Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Lyrics: Tim Rice (1996)
- "My Heart Will Go On"
- Music: James Horner
- Lyrics: Will Jennings (1997)
- "When You Believe"
- Music and lyrics: Stephen Schwartz (1998)
- "You'll Be in My Heart"
- Music and lyrics: Phil Collins (1999)
- "Things Have Changed"
- Music and lyrics: Bob Dylan (2000)
- "If I Didn't Have You"
- Music and lyrics: Randy Newman (2001)
- "Lose Yourself"
- "Into the West"
- Music and lyrics: Fran Walsh, Howard Shore and Annie Lennox (2003)
- "Al otro lado del río"
- Music and lyrics: Jorge Drexler (2004)
- "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp"
- Music and lyrics: Juicy J, Frayser Boy and DJ Paul (2005)
- "I Need to Wake Up"
- Music and lyrics: Melissa Etheridge (2006)
- "Falling Slowly"
- Music and lyrics: Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (2007)
- "Jai Ho"
- Music: A. R. Rahman
- Lyrics: Gulzar (2008)
- "The Weary Kind"
- Music and lyrics: Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett (2009)
- "We Belong Together"
- Music and lyrics: Randy Newman (2010)
- "Man or Muppet"
- Music and lyrics: Bret McKenzie (2011)
- "Skyfall"
- Music and lyrics: Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth (2012)
- "Let It Go"
- Music and lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (2013)
- "Glory"
- Music and lyrics: John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn (2014)
- "Writing's on the Wall"
- Music and lyrics: James Napier and Sam Smith (2015)
- "City of Stars"
- Music: Justin Hurwitz
- Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (2016)
- "Remember Me"
- Music and lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (2017)
- "Shallow"
- Music and lyrics: Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt (2018)
- "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again"
- Music: Elton John
- Lyrics: Bernie Taupin (2019)
- "Fight for You"
- Music: D'Mile and H.E.R.
- Lyrics: H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas (2020)
- "No Time to Die"
- Music and lyrics: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell (2021)
- "Naatu Naatu"
- Music: M. M. Keeravani
- Lyrics: Chandrabose (2022)
- "What Was I Made For?"
- Music and lyrics: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell (2023)