Randy Newman

Randy Newman Bio

Randall Stuart Newman, born on November 28, 1943, in Los Angeles, California, is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor, and orchestrator. Recognized for his non-rhotic Southern-accented singing style and his mordant, satirical lyrics, he has built a career that bridges popular song and cinema. He began writing professionally as a teenager and released his debut solo album in 1968. Across decades, he has recorded enduring hits such as “Short People” (1977) and “I Love L.A.” (1983), and written beloved songs including “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” (1995). Since the 1980s he has concentrated on film composing, scoring numerous Disney–Pixar features.

Newman comes from an extended family of Hollywood film composers, and that heritage shaped his path from an early age. As a recording artist and songwriter he has shaped American popular music, while as a film composer he has helped define the sound of modern animated cinema. His work has earned two Academy Awards, seven Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards, and inductions into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Background

Randall Stuart Newman was born on November 28, 1943, his father’s 30th birthday, in Los Angeles, California, to a Jewish family. He is the son of Adele “Dixie” Newman (née Fuchs/Fox) and Irving George Newman, an internist. As a young child he lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, and spent summers there until age 11, when his family returned to Los Angeles. The city of New Orleans, with its rich musical traditions, would become a recurring source of inspiration in his songwriting throughout his career.

Newman was raised in a household where religion played little role, and he has described himself as an atheist. The paternal side of his family produced three uncles who were prominent Hollywood film-score composers: Alfred Newman, Lionel Newman, and Emil Newman. His cousins Thomas Newman, Maria Newman, David Newman, and Joey Newman are also composers for motion pictures, making the Newman family one of the most decorated extended families in Academy Award history.

He graduated from University High School in Los Angeles and went on to study music at the University of California, Los Angeles, though he left one semester shy of earning a B.A. He eventually returned to UCLA and completed his degree in June 2021.

Path to Music

Newman began his songwriting career at the age of 17, citing Ray Charles as a major early influence. His first single as a performer, 1962’s “Golden Gridiron Boy,” was released when he was 18, but it failed to chart, and he chose to focus on songwriting and arranging for the next several years. An early credit was “They Tell Me It’s Summer,” the b-side of a 1962 Fleetwoods single, which led to commissions from artists including Pat Boone, Gene Pitney, Jerry Butler, Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield, Jackie DeShannon, the O’Jays, and Irma Thomas.

His songs found particular success in the United Kingdom. Top 40 UK hits written by Newman included Cilla Black’s “I’ve Been Wrong Before” (1965), Gene Pitney’s “Nobody Needs Your Love” and “Just One Smile” (both 1966), and the Alan Price Set’s “Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear” (1967). The English keyboardist Alan Price championed Newman by recording seven of his songs on his 1967 album A Price on His Head. In the mid-1960s, Newman also maintained a close musical relationship with the band Harpers Bizarre, which recorded six of his compositions during their initial career.

Randy Newman Career

Early Career (1961–1977)

Newman has been a professional songwriter since age 17, and his recording career began in earnest with his 1968 self-titled debut album, produced by Lenny Waronker and Van Dyke Parks. The album was a critical success, even though it did not enter the Billboard Top 200. His 1970 follow-up, 12 Songs, showcased a stripped-down piano sound backed by Ry Cooder on slide guitar and members of the Byrds, earning lavish critical praise. Three Dog Night turned his “Mama Told Me Not to Come” into a major hit during this period, and the 1971 live album Randy Newman Live became his first release to appear on the Billboard charts.

In 1972, Sail Away reached No. 163 on Billboard, with the title track later covered by Ray Charles and Linda Ronstadt. The album featured “Burn On,” a song about the Cuyahoga River fire that later became the opening theme of the 1989 film Major League. His 1974 release Good Old Boys became his commercial breakthrough, peaking at No. 36 on the Billboard 200 and spending 21 weeks there. Little Criminals (1977) produced the surprise hit “Short People,” a satirical track that became a cultural flashpoint and helped the album reach No. 9 on the Billboard 200.

Breakthrough (1977–Present)

Newman’s first major film score was for Norman Lear’s 1971 satire Cold Turkey. He returned to film work with Ragtime in 1981, earning two Academy Award nominations for the project. His 1983 album Trouble in Paradise featured “I Love L.A.,” a song that has been interpreted as both praising and criticizing Los Angeles, and that was later adopted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Kings. In 1985 he performed at the first Farm Aid concert, duetting with Billy Joel on “Sail Away.”

From the 1980s onward, Newman concentrated on film composing. He has scored ten Disney–Pixar animated films, including the Toy Story films (1995–2026), A Bug’s Life (1998), Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Monsters University (2013), and the first and third Cars films (2006, 2017). He has also scored Disney’s James and the Giant Peach (1996) and The Princess and the Frog (2009), and major live-action features including The Natural (1984), Awakenings (1990), Pleasantville (1998), Meet the Parents (2000), Seabiscuit (2003), and Marriage Story (2019). He co-wrote the 1986 film Three Amigos with Steve Martin and Lorne Michaels and voiced the singing bush.

As a songwriter for hire, he penned the Emmy Award-winning theme song of Monk, “It’s a Jungle Out There,” and the Emmy-winning song “When I’m Gone” for the series finale. His 2008 album Harps and Angels and his 2017 album Dark Matter both received strong critical reviews, and his 2016 single “Putin” earned a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals. In 2020, he wrote the song “Stay Away” to support people during the COVID-19 pandemic, with proceeds directed to the Ellis Marsalis Center in New Orleans.

Notable Works and Milestones

Signature recordings include “Short People” (1977), “I Love L.A.” (1983), and “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” (1995), while enduring standards written by Newman include “Mama Told Me Not to Come” (1966), “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today” (1968), and “You Can Leave Your Hat On” (1972). His film work with Pixar has defined the sound of modern animated cinema, and his 2002 Oscar win for “If I Didn’t Have You” from Monsters, Inc. ended a long-running streak of Academy Award nominations without a win.

Randy Newman Award Nominations

Across his career, Randy Newman has been nominated for 22 Academy Awards, three Emmy Awards, seven Grammy Awards (with additional nominations beyond his wins), a BAFTA Award, and seven Golden Globe Awards. He also received the 2014 Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to film music. His nominations, combined with those of his extended family, have made the Newmans the most nominated Academy Award extended family in music categories, with a collective 92 nominations.

Randy Newman Awards Won

Randy Newman has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Song: in 2002 for “If I Didn’t Have You” from Monsters, Inc., and in 2011 for “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3. He has also won three Emmy Awards, including for the Monk theme “It’s a Jungle Out There” and the song “When I’m Gone,” and seven Grammy Awards, including Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals for “Putin.” He received the Recording Academy’s Governors Award in 2003, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002, was named a Disney Legend in 2007, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.

Randy Newman Family

Randy Newman was born into a family with deep roots in Hollywood music. His mother was Adele “Dixie” Newman (née Fuchs/Fox), and his father was Irving George Newman, an internist. Three of his paternal uncles, Alfred Newman, Lionel Newman, and Emil Newman, were prominent Hollywood film-score composers, and his cousins Thomas Newman, Maria Newman, David Newman, and Joey Newman have all worked as composers for motion pictures.

Personal Life

Newman was married to Roswitha Schmale from 1967 until their divorce in 1985, and the couple had three sons: Eric, Amos, and John. He has been married to Gretchen Preece since 1990, and they have two children, Patrick and Alice. Gretchen Preece is the daughter of director Michael Preece. Newman endorsed Democratic President Barack Obama for reelection in 2012 and wrote the satirical song “I’m Dreaming” about voting for White candidates.