Richard Harris
Richard Harris was an Irish actor, singer, and film director. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Harry Potter series and the movies. In 1968, he recorded a single called “MacArthur Park” that peaked in the Billboard top 10 and went on to become a chart-topping hit. His career also included films like This Sporting Life, Unforgiven, and Wrestling Ernest Hemingway.
Taco Ockerse
While Taco Ockerse was born in Indonesia to Dutch parents, he grew up in Germany. He took his first professional theatrical engagements in Hamburg when he was 20 years old. The song became a top ten hit, earning Ockerse a spot on VH1’s list of the 100 greatest one-hit wonders of the 1980s. Before his song’s release, Ockerse was virtually unknown. He only became a big star after his song reached the Top 10 and fell out of the Top 40.
Despite his limited mainstream success, Taco has continued to record for Polydor. These days, he concentrates on the German market. He performs with a band in Germany and is an occasional gala artist. He was born in Jakarta, Indonesia. And his success prompted the filming of several movies. While the actor and his brother both recorded successful albums, their careers are different.
Burt Bacharach
The ’80s brought an unprecedented surge of popular music for Burt Bacharach, who had several hits on the Billboard charts. Bacharach rose to fame as the arranger of Marlene Dietrich’s nightclub shows. While touring Europe as a pianist for Marlene Dietrich, he also began writing his songs. This gave him his first big break as an arranger and conductor.
The songwriter’s music was characterized by unusual chord progressions, jazz harmony, and unusual instrument choices for a small orchestra. The songs they produced became hits for artists like Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, and B.J. Thomas, and have sold more than half a billion records worldwide. But, their success did not stop there. Burt Bacharach’s brother, Hal David, has a string of top 10 hits.
Hal David had been a journalist and later turned to write songs for musical settings. He became a major star with the hit “The Four Winds And the Seven Seas.” Burt Bacharach, the brother of which actor recorded a top 10 billboard hit in the 1980s? The songwriter’s brother has a prestigious music career, having studied at McGill University and the Mannes School of Music. After studying at the Mannes School of Music, Burt Bacharach spent three years as Marlene Dietrich’s musical director.
The singer began his solo career in 1965 with the release of his first solo album on the Kapp Records label. Though the album was largely overlooked in the US, it reached the top three album charts in the United Kingdom. His next two albums were soundtracks for films such as What’s New Pussycat? and After the Fox. Then in 1977, Burt Bacharach released “Rescue” as the soundtrack to the movie Austin Powers. After this, he collaborated with Earth, Wind & Fire, and James Ingram. The latter two albums were also released on the soundtracks for Casino Royale.
Hal David
Hal David, an award-winning lyricist, died Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Born in Brooklyn, David moved to New York at an early age and began writing songs as a teenager. His father, Mack David, was a singer-songwriter who helped him gain exposure. Mack also influenced Hal to write his songs.
The Bacharach-David collaboration had its highest-charting moment in the year 1969. The song, Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, won a Grammy Award for Best Cast Album and was nominated for a Tony Award. The song’s catchy hook featured imaginary tennis balls, and the tune became a top-selling single.
Tom Scott
Which actor’s brother has recorded a top ten hit? Tom Scott’s duet with Wendy Fraser peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1988. The soundtrack of the film, which also starred Scott, is the fifth best-selling movie soundtrack of all time, selling more than 11 million copies as of 2016. The actor also recorded two songs for the Road House soundtrack and next of kin soundtracks.
Darren Ives
Darren Ives’s brother Darren also recorded a hit in the 1980s. His brother, Stacy Sheridan, was the partner of which actor in the 1980s? Stacy recorded the hit song “Tijuana Girl,” which became one of her most popular singles. Darren also performed with her on tour.
