Randy Newman

Randy Newman has long been one of the most musically and lyrically ambitious singer-songwriters in popular music. His songwriting success includes other artists popularizing his work: Three Dog Night had a hit with “Mama Told Me (Not To Come)” and Joe Cocker scored with the hilariously lascivious “You Can Leave Your Hat On”. Newman’s own Top 40 success came with the most unlikely track, “Short People.” Other hits include “It’s Money That I Love” and “I Love L.A.” He has been a prolific film composer, a regular Academy Award nominee and an Oscar winner for “If I Didn’t Have You” from Monsters, Inc. Among his notable scores are Ragtime, The Natural, Parenthood, Awakenings, Avalon, Pleasantville and Leatherheads. In recent years, he has specialized in composing for a range of critically acclaimed blockbuster family films, including, Toy Story, James and the Giant Peach, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., and Cars. Though Newman projects the image of a misanthrope in his own work, he summons tremendous warmth and tenderness in the songs he created for these movies