One Singular Sensation: Marvin Hamlisch

Marvin Hamlisch died yesterday. While not the household name he was in the 70's and 80's, his body of work will stand in history as both remarkable and enviable.

Eleven people in entertainment history have been awarded the EGOT collection, comprised of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award...Marvin Hamlisch was one of them. And to go one better, only he and Richard Rogers have won those four awards as well as a Pulitzer Prize.

In 1973 he wrote the theme for "The Way We Were" sung by Barbra Streisand. A hauntingly poignant song, it perfectly captured the essence of the movie. This was probably where I first became aware of the name Marvin Hamlisch.

Later that year, Hamlisch was called upon to adapt the music of ragtime composer Scott Joplin for a movie starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford.  The movie was The Sting, and that soundtrack introduced a new genre of music to millions of young people...I was one of them. Ragtime music was joyful, playful and brilliant. The way Hamlisch nuanced every scene with the perfect injection of that music was spectacular. A single of the theme from the movie "The Entertainer," hit #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart and #3 on the Hot 100. Back then, good music crossed over the charts.

He won the Pulitzer Prize and a Tony for a little Broadway Musical, you might have heard the name; A Chorus Line. One of the longest running and most successful musicals in history, its hit numbers included "I Hope I Get It,", "What I Did For Love," and the show-stopping "One."

Now, Broadway musicals are not everyone's cup of tea. So how about a theme from a Bond movie?  Yeah, he co-wrote "Nobody Does It Better" from The Spy Who Loved Me.

Marvin Hamlisch was a genius. The world is a poorer place without him and his music.

Easy Journey Marvin.

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