Composer, writer and documentarian John Forté has crafted the original theme song and music for the CBS News documentary series BROOKLYN DA, which will premiere May 28, 2013 (10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
Forté's new song, "Brooklyn Now," will kick off each of the six, one-hour broadcasts of BROOKLYN DA. He has also created original music that will be featured throughout every broadcast.
The lyrics to "Brooklyn Now" pull from Forte's life story, which includes his upbringing in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, his success in the music world, a drug bust leading to a stint in prison, and his redemption.
"Part of what drew us to Forté and his music was his own life experiences - powerful, authentic and real," said Senior Executive Producer Susan Zirinsky. "He understands the challenges. He understands peoples' journeys. He is the soul of Brooklyn."
"This is a signature piece," added series creator and Senior Supervising Producer Patti Aronofsky. "'Brooklyn Now' stays with you."
"Whether I'm singing a ballad with just an acoustic guitar or whether I'm conducting an orchestra," Forté said, "the broad range of my musical essences come from Brownsville."
Forté grew up in Brooklyn and went on to study violin at the Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. While attending New York University he began working at a record label, where he was introduced to Lauryn Hill, who, with
Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel, founded the groundbreaking group The Fugees. Forté co-wrote and produced two songs on The Fugees' 1996 Grammy-winning album The Score. He then went on to release his own solo album, Poly Sci.
After the initial success, continued financial success eluded him he says he "foolishly" got involved in distributing drugs. He then got caught, convicted and sentenced to 14 years in jail. However, Carly Simon, along with Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), made a plea for Forte's clemency, arguing the mandatory sentence was too long. In 2008, President George W. Bush commuted Forté's sentence.
"I had a lot of time to become spiritually, mentally, and even physically proactive," Forté says of his time in jail. "No one was going to take better care of me inside than me. And that was... a double underlined lesson."
He has since gone on to release an EP, a full-length CD, produced a documentary about his concert tour and is writing a memoir. He is also the CEO of Le Castle, a company he created with former Exeter schoolmate, Christophe Charlier, to manage his various ventures.
BROOKLYN DA is a new six-part documentary series focusing on the career prosecutors in one of the nation's largest district attorney's offices in the country.
Brooklyn DA will feature the hard-charging prosecutors who have larger-than-life personalities inside and out of the courtroom as they juggle some of the toughest cases in the city. Viewers will see the wins, the losses, and a wide-range of human experiences.
"Brooklyn Now" will also be available via iTunes.
Patti Aronofsky is the series creator and senior supervising producer. Anthony Batson is the senior broadcast producer. Susan Zirinsky is the senior executive producer.
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