Tim Rice
The lyricist who wrote the words for Elton John's Aida concept album, performed by a galaxy of pop and R&B stars.
Tim Rice is the lyricist who, with Elton John, created the 1999 concept album Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida. The album contains songs with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice from (but predates the main production of) the 2000 musical Aida. Rice's words were performed on the album by pop, country and R&B stars including Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Sting, Lenny Kravitz, Shania Twain, Boyz II Men, Spice Girls, James Taylor, LeAnn Rimes, Kelly Price, Lulu, Angelique Kidjo, and Dru Hill. Two tracks, "A Step Too Far" and "Elaborate Lives", feature the voices of future cast members Heather Headley and Sherie Rene Scott, who would go on to play Aida and Amneris respectively.
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Timothy Miles Bindon Rice
- Birthplace
- Shardeloes, Buckinghamshire, England
- Born
- 10 November 1944
- Origin
- Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England
- Genre
- Musical theatre
- film
- television
- lyricist
- author
- Occupation
- Songwriter
- Years active
- 1966–present
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
For the Aida concept album, Tim Rice wrote lyrics that Elton John set to music, creating songs that were then recorded by a diverse roster of artists. The album was certified gold in April 1999 by the RIAA. One track, "Written in the Stars", a duet with LeAnn Rimes, was released as a single, reaching No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart; that single was also certified gold in April 1999 by the RIAA. Another song, "The Messenger", makes its only appearance on this record, as it would be cut from the Broadway production and consequently left off the cast album. Prior to the recordings being performed by other artists, John also recorded each song as a solo full production demo; these tracks did not make the album and have never been officially released but are readily available on YouTube.
Reader's Guide
Tim Rice is the lyricist for the 1999 concept album Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida, which contains songs with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice. The album predates the main production of the 2000 musical Aida. Rice's lyrics were performed by a wide range of artists: Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Sting, Lenny Kravitz, Shania Twain, Boyz II Men, Spice Girls, James Taylor, LeAnn Rimes, Kelly Price, Lulu, Angelique Kidjo, and Dru Hill. Two tracks feature the voices of future Broadway cast members Heather Headley and Sherie Rene Scott. The single "Written in the Stars" (a duet with LeAnn Rimes) reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and was certified gold by the RIAA in April 1999. The song "The Messenger" appears only on this album, having been cut from the Broadway production. Elton John also recorded solo full production demos of each song, which are not officially released but are available on YouTube.
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