Article: Movie scores keep him on his toes, says veteran songwriter Randy Newman, but, as he tells Alan Taylor, he never rested on his laurels

animated and short

IT is three decades and more since I first saw Randy Newman amble on to the stage at the Royal Festival Hall. Then in his early 20s, he had just two albums to his credit but, as he says, even by that point in his career, his name was well known among fellow musicians. Alan Price had had a hit with Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear, Harry Nilsson had recorded an album of his songs and Ry Cooder had made a brilliant cover version of My Old Kentucky Home. On top of which, he says: "The Beatles knew who I was."

Nothing much has changed. Newman's unruly curls may have been tamed and he may have gained a few extra pounds, but he remains the kind of songwriter whose work ...

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