Randy Newman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Randy Newman
Newman in 2012
Born	Randall Stuart Newman (1943-11-28) November 28, 1943 (age 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Singer songwriter arranger pianist composer conductor
Years active	1961–present
Spouse(s)	Roswitha Schmale ​ ​ (m. 1967; div. 1985)​ Gretchen Preece ​ (m. 1990)​
Children	5, including Eric Newman
Parents	Irving George Newman (father) Adele "Dixie", née Fuchs/Fox (mother)
Relatives	David Newman (cousin) Thomas Newman (cousin) Maria Newman (cousin) Joey Newman (cousin) Lionel Newman (uncle) Emil Newman (uncle) Alfred Newman (uncle)
Musical career
Genres	Americana rock pop R&B soul comedy film score
Instruments	Vocals piano
Labels	Warner Bros. Reprise Walt Disney DreamWorks Interscope Nonesuch Elektra Columbia
Associated acts	Lyle Lovett

Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, and composer. He is famous for his unique singing style and his songs, which often have a funny or thoughtful side. He has also written music for many movies.

Some of his well-known songs include "Short People" (1977), "I Love L.A." (1983), and "You've Got a Friend in Me" (1995). Other artists have also had big hits with his songs like "Mama Told Me Not to Come" and "You Can Leave Your Hat On".

Randy Newman was born in Los Angeles into a family of Hollywood film composers. He started writing songs when he was 17. His first album as a solo artist came out in 1968. Since the 1980s, he has mostly focused on writing music for films.

He has composed music for many Disney-Pixar animated movies. These include all the Toy Story films, A Bug's Life, and the Monsters, Inc. movies. He has won two Academy Awards for his songs in films. He has also won three Emmys and seven Grammy Awards. In 2007, he was named a Disney Legend. He is also in the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Family Background

Randy Newman was born on November 28, 1943, in Los Angeles. His father was a doctor, and his mother was a secretary. As a young child, he lived in New Orleans, Louisiana. He spent his summers there until he was 11 years old. Then, his family moved back to Los Angeles.

His family has a strong connection to music. Three of his uncles, Alfred Newman, Lionel Newman, and Emil Newman, were famous Hollywood film composers. His cousins, Thomas, Maria, David, and Joey, also compose music for movies.

Randy Newman went to University High School in Los Angeles. He studied music at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He left before finishing his degree, but he finally completed it in June 2021.

Randy Newman's Music Career

Newman playing piano in 1972

Starting as a Songwriter

Randy Newman became a professional songwriter at age 17. He was greatly inspired by the music of Ray Charles. His first song as a performer, "Golden Gridiron Boy," came out in 1962. It wasn't a big hit, so he decided to focus on writing songs for other artists.

Many artists recorded his early songs. These included Cilla Black, Gene Pitney, and the Alan Price Set. His songs were especially popular in the UK. For example, Cilla Black's "I've Been Wrong Before" reached No. 17 in 1965.

In the mid-1960s, Newman worked closely with the band Harpers Bizarre. They recorded six of his songs. He also started a long partnership with his childhood friend, Lenny Waronker. Waronker later became an important manager at Warner Bros. Records. This friendship helped create a creative group at Warner Bros. that led to much success.

In 2020, Randy Newman wrote a song called "Stay Away." He wrote it to support people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The money from downloads of this song helps children in New Orleans.

Becoming a Recording Artist

His first album, Randy Newman (1968), was praised by critics. However, it didn't become a big commercial success. Still, many famous artists like Barbra Streisand and Nina Simone covered his songs. "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" became a popular song for many performers.

In 1970, Harry Nilsson recorded an entire album of Newman's songs called Nilsson Sings Newman. Randy Newman played piano on this album. Later that year, Newman released 12 Songs. This album had a simpler sound and was also highly praised. The band Three Dog Night had a huge hit with his song "Mama Told Me Not to Come".

His 1972 album, Sail Away, featured the title track, which was covered by Ray Charles. The album also included "Burn On," a song about the Cuyahoga River catching fire. This song was later used in the film Major League.

Newman in 1974

In 1974, he released Good Old Boys. This album was a collection of songs about the American South. It was very popular with critics and became a commercial success for Newman.

His 1977 album, Little Criminals, included the hit song "Short People". This song became very popular and reached No. 9 on the US Billboard charts.

In 1983, his album Trouble in Paradise featured the song "I Love L.A.". This song is often played at games for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Lakers.

After this, Newman focused more on movie work. He released new albums like Land of Dreams (1988) and Bad Love (1999). He also re-recorded many of his songs for The Randy Newman Songbook series. He continues to perform his songs live for audiences.

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Newman's song "Louisiana 1927" became very popular. The song talks about a flood in 1927 and how the city leaders managed it.

In 2016, Newman released a song called "Putin" about the Russian leader. His album Dark Matter came out in 2017 and received good reviews.

Working as a Film Composer

Newman performing in 2014

Randy Newman started writing music for TV shows in the 1960s. His first full film score was for the 1971 movie Cold Turkey. He later wrote music for Ragtime (1981), which earned him two Academy Awards nominations. He also helped write the 1986 film Three Amigos and wrote three songs for it.

Newman has composed music for nine Disney/Pixar films. These include all the Toy Story movies, A Bug's Life, and both Monsters, Inc. films. He has received many Academy Award nominations for his Pixar work. He won the award for Best Original Song for "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters, Inc. and "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3.

Other movies he has scored include Awakenings, The Paper, and Meet the Parents. His music for Pleasantville was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Besides movies, he writes songs for TV shows. He won an Emmy Award for the theme song of Monk, called "It's a Jungle Out There". He also won an Emmy for "When I'm Gone" for the final episode of Monk.

Newman wrote the music for Disney's The Princess and the Frog. The film is set in New Orleans, which allowed Newman to use musical styles like Cajun music and Dixieland jazz. Two songs from the movie, "Almost There" and "Down in New Orleans", were nominated for Oscars.

In total, Randy Newman has received 22 Academy Award nominations and won twice.

Musical Theater Works

Randy Newman's songs have been featured in musical shows. A show called Maybe I'm Doing It Wrong was performed in New York City in 1982.

In the 1990s, Newman created a musical based on Goethe's Faust, called Randy Newman's Faust. He also starred as the Devil in a performance of it in 2014.

In 2000, a musical theater piece called The Education of Randy Newman was produced. It told the story of a songwriter who was similar to Newman himself.

In 2010, a musical show called Harps and Angels featured many of Randy Newman's songs. It included popular songs like "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" and "You've Got a Friend in Me".

Personal Life

Randy Newman was married to Roswitha Schmale from 1967 to 1985. They had three sons. Since 1990, he has been married to Gretchen Preece, and they have two children.

Awards and Honors

Randy Newman has received many awards for his music. He has been nominated for 22 Academy Awards. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song twice:

• In 2002, for "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters, Inc..
• In 2011, for "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3.

He has also won three Emmys and seven Grammy Awards. In 2002, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was named a Disney Legend in 2007. In 2010, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2013, Randy Newman was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Randy Newman (1968)
• 12 Songs (1970)
• Sail Away (1972)
• Good Old Boys (1974)
• Little Criminals (1977)
• Born Again (1979)
• Trouble in Paradise (1983)
• Land of Dreams (1988)
• Randy Newman's Faust (1995)
• Bad Love (1999)
• The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1 (2003)
• Harps and Angels (2008)
• The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 2 (2011)
• The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 3 (2016)
• Dark Matter (2017)

Film Scores

See also

In Spanish: Randy Newman para niños