PBS Premieres MY MUSIC: BURT BACHARACH'S BEST Tonight

For over half a century, the immensely popular and immediately identifiable melodies of composer Burt Bacharach have touched millions of music lovers around the world. Bacharach established himself in the 1960s as a topical successor to his Tin Pan Alley predecessors, creating some of the most beloved and successful pop music ever to grace radio, television and film. Hosted by Robert Wagner, this first-time ever archival PBS special includes all the original artists performing Bacharach's hits with rare footage and clips from the 1960s -1980s. MY MUSIC: Burt Bacharach'S BEST premieres on PBS stations beginning tonight, June 1, 2013 (check local listings).

Bacharach teamed with lyricist Hal David for a stunning run of classic songs, many in tandem with Dionne Warwick (Walk On By, I Say A Little Prayer, Alfie). British songbird Dusty Springfield introduced the seductive standard The Look Of Love while Tom Jones popularized the playful What's New Pussycat?, Herb Alpert romanticized with This Guy's In Love With You and Jackie DeShannon touched hearts with the iconic What The World Needs Now Is Love. The smashes continued in the seventies when The Carpenters reached #1 with (They Long To Be) Close To You, following another number one evergreen, Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head, the Oscar-winning tune sung by B.J. Thomas in the film Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. Soul-pop ensemble The Fifth Dimension presents the sultry ballad One Less Bell To Answer.

The 1980s witnessed more Bacharach chart-toppers such as Arthur's Theme by Christopher Cross and That's What Friends Are For by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & Elton John. Burt Bacharach continues to perform concerts across the globe and his autobiography, Anyone Who Had A Heart, has just been published by HarperCollins.

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