Joseph Brooks (songwriter) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joseph Brooks
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,_1978.jpg)
Joseph Brooks in 1978 as he appeared in
If Ever I See You Again |
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| Born |
Joseph Kaplan
March 11, 1938 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | May 22, 2011 (aged 73) New York City, U.S.
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| Other names |
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| Children | 4 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, director, producer, screenwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Associated acts |
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Joseph Brooks, born Joseph Kaplan (March 11, 1938 – May 22, 2011), was an American composer, director, producer, and screenwriter. He was known for writing many advertising songs, called jingles. He also wrote popular songs like "My Ship Is Comin' In", "If Ever I See You Again", and "You Light Up My Life". The song "You Light Up My Life" was for a hit movie of the same name, which he also wrote, directed, and produced.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Joseph Kaplan was born on March 11, 1938, in Manhattan, New York City. He grew up in Manhattan and Lawrence, Long Island. He started playing piano when he was very young, at age 3, and writing plays by age 5. As a child, he had a stutter, which is a speech difficulty. Interestingly, his stutter would disappear when he sang or acted. He went to five different colleges, including the famous Juilliard, but he did not finish his studies at any of them.
In the late 1950s, Brooks decided to become a singer-songwriter. He started using the name "Joey Brooks." He released several records under this name and later as "Joey Brooks and the Baroque Folk." When his singing career didn't take off, he began working in advertising and writing songs for others. He continued to release some records throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Career in Advertising and Film
In the 1960s, Brooks became very successful writing music for commercials. He created jingles for big companies like Pepsi ("You've Got a Lot to Live") and Maxwell House ("Good to the Last Drop Feeling"). He won many awards for his advertising work, including several Clio Awards, which are like Oscars for advertising. He also wrote the song "My Ship Is Comin' In", which became a Top Ten hit in the UK in 1966 for the Walker Brothers.
By the 1970s, Brooks had earned a lot of money from his advertising work. He started writing music for movies. He composed music for films such as The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970), Marjoe (1972), and The Lords of Flatbush (1974). He also wrote "Blue Balloon (The Hourglass Song)" for the movie Jeremy (1973).
The Success of You Light Up My Life
Joseph Brooks then created his own movie project, You Light Up My Life. He wrote, produced, directed, and composed the music for this film. It was a romantic drama about a singer, starring Didi Conn. Even though some critics didn't love the movie, it became a big success at the box office.
The title song, "You Light Up My Life", was an even bigger hit. A version sung by Debby Boone became the number one song in the U.S. and stayed there for 10 weeks! It sold over five million copies, making it one of the biggest songs of the 1970s. This song earned Brooks many major awards, including a Grammy Award for Song of the Year, an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and a Golden Globe Award.
Later Film and Stage Work
After the success of You Light Up My Life, Brooks tried to make another similar movie called If Ever I See You Again (1978). For this film, he not only co-wrote, produced, directed, and scored the music, but he also played the main character. This character was a successful composer of TV commercial jingles, much like Brooks himself. The title song became a moderate hit for Roberta Flack, but the movie did not do well and received negative reviews.
Brooks continued to work on other films, directing and scoring Invitation to the Wedding (1983) and co-producing Eddie and the Cruisers (1983). He also worked on stage musicals. He composed for the 1989 West End musical Metropolis. Later, he wrote, directed, and produced the Broadway musical In My Life (2005). This show had a very unique story. Critics did not give In My Life good reviews, but Brooks strongly believed in his show.
In 2008, Brooks suffered a stroke, which is a medical event that can affect the brain. This made it difficult for him to play the piano and compose music.
Personal Life
Joseph Brooks was the older brother of Gilbert Kaplan, who founded Institutional Investor magazine. Gilbert Kaplan was also a big fan of the composer Gustav Mahler and an amateur conductor.
Brooks had four children: Amanda (born 1981), Nicholas (born 1986), Gabrielle, and Jeffrey.
Death
Joseph Brooks passed away on May 22, 2011. He was found in his apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Partial List of Credits
Film
- The Lords of Flatbush (1974) – Conductor, music arranger
- You Light Up My Life (1977) – Producer, director, writer and composer (1977)
- If Ever I See You Again (1978) – Producer, director, co-writer, composer and actor (1978)
- Headin' for Broadway (1980) – Director, co-writer
- Eddie and the Cruisers (1983) -- Producer
- Invitation to the Wedding (1985) – Director
Stage
- Metropolis (1989), West End musical – Composer, co-lyricist
- In My Life (2005), Broadway musical – Director, writer, composer and lyricist
See also
- Grammy Award for Song of the Year
- Academy Award for Best Original Song
- You Light Up My Life (song)
