Randy Newman

The remarks below are from the introduction by SCL President Ashley Irwin at the 2013 SCL Holiday Dinner:

A consummate composer, lyricist, arranger, conductor and musician, Randy epitomizes what the SCL is all about. His has the ability to write songs that can be simultaneously poignant and acerbic: Short People I Love LA, You Can Leave Your Hat On, You Got a Friend in Me, Mama Told Me Not to Come, Louisiana 1927, Sail Away, When She Loved Me, Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear …while his film scores convey soulfulness and sincerity: Ragtime, The Natural, Toy Story, Awakenings, Avalon, Seabiscuit, Pleasantville, A Bug’s Life, Cars …and I’ve barely scratched the surface. He’s also ventured into theatre with projects like “FAUST” and “HARPS & ANGELS”. And many of you would be unaware that he wrote that beautiful arrangement of “Is That All There Is?” for Peggy Lee. He’s a six-­?time Grammy winner, a three–time Emmy winner and managed to accrue 16 Oscar nominations before finally winning for Best Original Song in 2002 for “If I Didn’t Have You“ from “MONSTERS INC.” He’s since added another 4 nominations and another gong for Best Song in 2011 with “We Belong Together” from “TOY STORY 3”. He’s won 12 ASCAP Awards and in 1996 the Henry Mancini Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002, the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2011 and earlier this year into the Rock and Roll Hall Fame.

Unfortunately Randy can’t be with us tonight as he is recuperating from a little surgery he had last week. But to accept the award on his behalf, please welcome to the podium his son, Amos Newman.