Don Black
English lyricist known for Bond themes and musicals.
He has written lyrics for numerous musicals, film themes, and hit songs, collaborating with composers such as John Barry and Andrew Lloyd Webber.[1] AllMusic noted Black is perhaps best known for his James Bond theme songs and work with Andrew Lloyd Webber.[2]
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Donald Blackstone
- Born
- 21 June 1938
- Birthplace
- South Hackney, London, England
- Genre
- Popular music
- Occupation
- Songwriter, lyricist
- Years active
- 1960s–present
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Black was the youngest of five children of Russian Jewish immigrant parents Morris and Betsy Blackstone.[3][4] Black's stage credits include the musicals "Billy" (1974), "Bar Mitzvah Boy" (1976), and several Andrew Lloyd Webber shows including "Tell Me on a Sunday" and "Sunset Boulevard"[5][4] He was appointed OBE in 1999 and promoted to CBE in 2024 for services to music.[6] Black presented a Sunday night show on BBC Radio 2 from 2013 to 2020.[7][8]
His entry into the music business started with a job as an office boy at a music publishing firm, after which he became a song-plugger and also attempted a short period as a stand-up comic.[9][10] The initial film project Black worked on was providing the lyrics for the 1965 James Bond movie theme "Thunderball".[11][10]
What the cited sources add
A BBC press release states Black was born Gerald Blackstone on 21 June 1938 in Hackney, East London.[4] The same source notes that as a 15-year-old usher and brass polisher at the London Palladium, he was fired for sneaking into the auditorium to watch performers.[4] The Daily Express reports Black wrote lyrics for five Bond movies and that his first hit was "Walk Away" by Matt Monro in 1964.[10] A BBC News article states Black was admitted to hospital under his legal name Donald Blackstone and treated for COVID-19 in May 2020.[12][13]
References
- Wikipedia, "Don Black (lyricist)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "On making classical music appeal to younger audiences", BBC, 29 September 2008 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Don Black (lyricist)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Layne, "Don Black - Music Biography, Credits and Discography", AllMusic, 21 June 1938 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Don Black (lyricist)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "FreeBMD Entry Info", .freebmd.org.uk; "Don Black Discography", discogs, 21 June 1938; "Press Office - Network Radio Programme Information Week 34 Lyrics By Don Black Feature", BBC; James Inverne, "Walking With Elephants: The Authorised Biography of Don Black", Sanctuary Publishing Ltd, 5 April 2004; "Time & Place: From Russia with love to Hackney", The Times, September 2024; James Inverne, "Walking With Elephants: The Authorised Biography of Don Black", Sanctuary Publishing Ltd, 5 April 2004; London Magazine Celebrity Homes - Don en.wikipedia.org
- "Press Office - Network Radio Programme Information Week 34 Lyrics By Don Black Feature", BBC. facts only, no text reused. bbc.co.uk
- Wikipedia, "Don Black (lyricist)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Press Office - Network Radio Programme Information Week 34 Lyrics By Don Black Feature", BBC (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Don Black (lyricist)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Don Black (lyricist)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Don Black: Star lyricist puts a productive life into words", www.thejc.com, 2 September 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Don Black: Star lyricist puts a productive life into words", www.thejc.com, 2 September 2013. facts only, no text reused. thejc.com
- Wikipedia, "Don Black (lyricist)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Layne, "Don Black - Music Biography, Credits and Discography", AllMusic, 21 June 1938; "Don Black lyricist", Retrosellers.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Robertson, "Don Black: I can't read music but I've written five James Bond songs", Daily Express, 2016-03-04. facts only, no text reused. express.co.uk
- Wikipedia, "Don Black (lyricist)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Robertson, "Don Black: I can't read music but I've written five James Bond songs", Daily Express, 2016-03-04; Robertson, "Don Black: I can't read music but I've written five James Bond songs", Daily Express, 2016-03-04 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Don Black: Why he has you singing with the stars", BBC News, 2020-07-19. facts only, no text reused. bbc.co.uk
- Wikipedia, "Don Black (lyricist)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Don Black: Star lyricist puts a productive life into words", www.thejc.com, 2 September 2013; "Lyricist Don Black opens up following death of wife of 60 years", Express & Star, 4 August 2020; "Interview: Don Black", www.prsformusic.com; "Don Black: Why he has you singing with the stars", BBC News, 2020-07-19 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Don Black (lyricist) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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