Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong: The Life and Music of Randy Newman - Hardcover

Stafford, Caroline; Stafford, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1468313800 ISBN 13: 9781468313802

Publisher: Omnibus Press, 2016

Synopsis

The only biography of Randy Newman, master pop satirist and film composer.

Randy Newman may be best known, today, for his wistful movie scores, with "You've Got a Friend in Me," from the Toy Story soundtrack leading the pack. He's been nominated for twenty Academy Awards, and has twice won Oscars for Best Original Song.

But Newman was also a quintessentially American pop powerhouse before he turned his formidable talents to scoring films. A songwriter since the age of 17, his earliest compositions were recorded by '60s luminaries like The Fleetwoods, Gene Pitney, Jackie DeShannon, and the O'Jays. His own releases, including 1968's Randy Newman and 1972's Sail Away, made him a household name, and his work continued to be widely repurposed, with Three Dog Night, Joe Cocker, Tom Jones, and Linda Ronstadt--among others--hitting the charts by covering Newman's songs. Harry Nilsson famously released an entire album of Newman covers, "Nilsson Sings Newman," and the two toured together to great acclaim.

Newman is known for his trenchant wit, and he continues to release satirical songs related to current events. But very little has been written about his personal life, including his marriages and his diagnosis with Epstein-Barr virus. Maybe I’m Doing It Wrong: The Life of Randy Newman is a primer for newcomers to his work and a rewarding handbook for the aficionado. It includes biographical notes, key background facts, figures, tasting notes, asides, diversions, and essays.

17 color and 15 b&w photographs

About this title

About the Author

David and Caroline Stafford are co-authors, together, of a biography of Lionel Bart, and of Cupid Stunts: The Life and Radio Times of Kenny Everett and Big Time: The Life of Adam Faith.

Review

“From his Hollywood roots and personal heartbreaks to his struggles with Epstein-Barr virus, Maybe I’m Doing It Wrong is the first-ever biography of the brilliant singer-songwriter.”
- Parade

“It reads as pithy and quirky and insightful as a Randy Newman song. Maybe I’m Doing It Wrong . . . provides us the snappy prose to go with the lyrical brilliance. And that is saying something. The Staffords’ work is easily accessible and eminently readable . . . Maybe I’m Doing It Wrong provides insight into the man and his times, his personal journey from a peripatetic childhood through years of uneven popularity and finally mega Hollywood film successes. The lasting worth of the Staffords’ efforts is that there are loads of fun stories here.”
- The Aquarian Weekly

“From the early covers of his compositions to his own output―including his extensive soundtrack work―Newman’s catalog is scrutinized.”
- Best Classic Bands

About this edition

• Publisher: Omnibus Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1468313800
• ISBN 13: 9781468313802
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288