New York, NY (September 4, 1998) – From short people to Los Angelenos, singer songwriter Randy Newman has populated his witty, sometimes acerbic pop songs with a rich stable of fascinating characters. On November 3, Rhino will release GUILTY: 30 YEARS OF RANDY NEWMAN, the definitive career retrospective of the artist who confirmed that height is what really matters.
Produced in cooperation with Randy Newman, GUILTY: 30 YEARS OF RANDY NEWMANhits retail stores everywhere just in time for Newman’s 55th birthday on November 28. Spanning Newman’s 30-year career and featuring 105 tracks onfour CDs, this quintessential collection will carry a suggested list priceof $59.98 and will also be available through RhinoDirect at 1-800-432-0020or http://www.rhino.com.
Newman’s most popular songs, such as the million-selling hit single “Short People” and Southern California’s unofficial anthem, “I Love L.A.,” are among the tracks featured on GUILTY: 30 YEARS OF RANDY NEWMAN. Discs Oneand Two will feature studio recordings. Disc Three will consist of odds andends, including demos, live material, rarities, and many previouslyunreleased cuts.
Disc Four will showcase Newman’s film scores, compositions, and arrangements, including the Oscar”-nominated song “One More Hour” from Milos Forman’s Ragtime, tracks from the Grammy”-winning soundtrack from The Natural, plus music and songs from Awakenings, The Paper, Maverick, ToyStory, and James And The Giant Peach, among others.
Featuring photos from Newman’s personal archive and original sheet music,the packaging will include extensive liner notes authored by Timothy White, editor-in-chief of Billboard magazine. Also contributing to the liner notes are Newman’s longtime co-producers Russ Titelman and Lenny Waronker, a senior executive at DreamWorks Records.
Born in Los Angeles, Newman, grew up in a prestigious musical family thatincludes his uncles Alfred, Lionel, and Emil Newman, eminent motion picturecomposers and former heads of the Music Department at 20th Century FoxPictures.
“Golden Gridiron Boy,” Newman’s first single, was produced by Pat Booneand released in 1961. Within a year, the UCLA musical composition student signed to Metric Music as a staff writer and began his successful songwriting career. He has penned chart singles for The Fleetwoods, JerryButler, Gene Pitney, Judy Collins, Manfred Mann, Jackie DeShannon, TheWalker Brothers, and The Nashville Teens. Artists such as Blood Sweat &Tears, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, and Three Dog Night have also recordedNewman’s songs.
In 1968 he signed with Warner Bros.’ Reprise label and released a string ofacclaimed albums: Randy Newman (1968), 12 Songs (1970), Live (1971), SailAway (1972) Good Old Boys (1974), Little Criminals (1978), and Born Again(1979). The ’80s marked Newman’s entry into film scoring. He alsoreleased Trouble In Paradise (1983), Land Of Dreams (1988), and Faust(1995). Newman recently signed to DreamWorks Records and will release anupcoming album for the label.
