Benard Ighner facts for kids

Benard Ighner (born January 18, 1945 – died August 14, 2017) was a talented American jazz singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was known for his amazing voice and for writing songs that many famous artists later sang.

Benard Ighner's Early Life and Music

Benard Ighner was born in Houston, Texas. After finishing school in 1962, he moved with his family to San Diego, California. Soon after, he joined the U.S. Army. While in the army, he learned to play many instruments, including the piano, guitar, and saxophone.

After leaving the army in 1965, Benard started his music career. He recorded music with the famous jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. For a while, Benard even toured as Gillespie's main singer. He used the name Bernard Ito for a vocal version of Gillespie's song "Con Alma".

Working with Lalo Schifrin and Other Artists

Later, Benard Ighner used another stage name, Alexander St. Charles. He began working with composer and arranger Lalo Schifrin. They worked together on the 1971 album Rock Requiem. Benard also helped write the song "Like Me," which he sang for the movie Dirty Harry. He also sang on David Axelrod's 1972 album, The Auction.

Benard became a "session singer" in Hollywood. This means he was hired to sing on recordings for many different artists and projects.

"Everything Must Change" and Its Impact

In 1974, Benard Ighner sang his own song, "Everything Must Change," on Quincy Jones' very popular album Body Heat. Even though it wasn't released as a single, the song became very famous. Many people say it helped sell a lot of copies of the album.

"Everything Must Change" became a classic song. Many other famous singers later recorded it. These included Randy Crawford, Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, George Benson, Nina Simone, Nancy Wilson, Judy Collins, June Christy, Jean Carn, and Oleta Adams.

Later Career and Collaborations

Benard Ighner continued to write and perform. He worked on an album with jazz trumpeter Woody Shaw for Blue Note Records. This album included several of Benard's songs and is considered one of Shaw's best works. In the same year, he recorded his song "Davy" as a duet with Shirley Bassey for her album Nobody Does It Like Me.

Benard released his only solo album, Little Dreamer, in 1978 in Japan. This album also featured his famous song "Everything Must Change." He also appeared on albums by artists like Smokey Robinson and James Taylor. You might have also heard his voice in many advertising commercials!

His songs were recorded by many musicians, including Carmen McRae, Freddie Hubbard, Shirley Bassey, Jerry Butler, and Sergio Mendes. In 1984, he worked with Lalo Schifrin again. They performed and recorded with the legendary singer Sarah Vaughan on an album called The Planet Is Alive...Let it Live!.

Benard Ighner passed away in Houston in 2017 at the age of 72. He died from lung cancer.