Burt Bacharach was, simply put, one of the most important figures in popular music in the 20th century.

He wrote 73 Top 40 hits, including songs like “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “That’s What Friends Are For,” and “Arthur’s Theme.”

He was nominated for six Academy Awards, 21 Grammy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award, of which he won three Oscars, six Grammys, and an Emmy.

His songs have been recorded by more than a thousand different artists.

Bacharach died last week at age 94. This hour, a look back at his seven-decade-long songwriting career.

GUESTS:

• Noah Baerman: A pianist, composer, and educator; his most recent album, with Henry Lugo, is Alter Ego
• Illeana Douglas: Official Movie Star of The Colin McEnroe Show
• Steve Metcalf: Founder and director of the Garmany concert series at the university of Hartford’s Hartt School
• Gene Seymour: A “writer, professional spectator, pop-culture maven, and jazz geek”
• Paula West: A jazz and cabaret singer

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Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

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