On this video from 2006, Randy Newman performs on the piano and sings at a festival in Stuttgart Germany. “Louisiana 1927” is about the flood of that year that destroyed many homes and left 700,000 people without shelter. The song was composed in 1974 and is one of Newman’s most popular and emotional songs.

Randy Newman’s music accomplishments are huge. He is a singer, pianist, songwriter, composer for film, and arranger. He has written many songs and written the soundtrack for almost 30 movies. His unusually lyrical style and keyboard playing, makes him a one of a kind performer.

Newman was born in 1943 in Los Angeles. He lived for a while in New Orleans. He took piano lessons as a child, and also as a young adult. At the age of 17 he had already begun his career as a songwriter. He cites Ray Charles as having the biggest influence on his music. After the terrible devastation from Hurricane Katrina, “Louisiana 1927” was played often on the radio and it boosted Newman’s popularity.

Randy Newman has won many awards from the Academy Awards, Grammy, Oscars, Emmys. He is a wonderfully talented artist that has contributed greatly to many areas of music and film in the U.S.

Partial List of Randy Newman’s Albums
Trouble in Paradise (1983)
Land of Dreams (1988)
Randy Newman’s Faust (1995)
Bad Love (1999)
Harps and Angels (2008)
Live in London (2011)

Partial List of Randy Newman’s Film Scores
Cats Don’t Dance (1997)
A Bug’s Life (1998)
Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
Pleasantville (1998)
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Meet the Parents (2000)
Jurassic Park 3 (2001)
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Seabiscuit (2003)
Meet the Fockers (2004)
Cars (2006)
Leatherheads (2008)
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Toy Story 3 (2010)

more about Randy Newman