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BIOGRAPHY

AWARDS

Academy Award Nominee:

  • “Best Original Song” – For “Run To You”, performed by Whitney Houston in “The Bodyguard” film

  • “Best Original Song” – For “For The First Time,” performed by Kenny Loggins in “One Fine Day” film

Grammy Nominee

  • “Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television” – For “Run To You”, performed by Whitney Houston in “The Bodyguard” film

  • “Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television” – For “For The First Time,” performed by Kenny Loggins in “One Fine Day” film

  • “Best Pop Instrumental” – For “December Makes Me Feel That Way” performed by Dave Koz

  • “Best R&B Performance by Duo or Group” – For “If Anything Ever Happened To You”, performed by Bebe and Cece Winans, co-arranged with Arif Mardin

Golden Globe Award Nominee

  • “Best Song From a Motion Picture” – For “For The First Time,” performed by Kenny Loggins in “One Fine Day” film

  • “Best Song From a Motion Picture” – For “The Color Of The Night”, performed by Lauren Christy in “Color Of Night” film, produced by Jud Friedman

#1 Billboard Hot 100 Single

  • “I Don’t Have The Heart”, performed by James Ingram, Co-arranged with Thom Bell

#1 R&R Adult Contemporary Single

  • “I Don’t Have The Heart”, performed by James Ingram, Co-arranged with Thom Bell

#1 Billboard Adult Contemporary Single

  • “For The First Time”, performed by Kenny Loggins

#1 R&R Adult Contemporary Single

  • “For The First Time”, performed by Kenny Loggins

#1 Contemporary Christian Single

  • “Count It All Joy”, performed by Bebe and Cece Winans

​

My family still claims I sang and played music before I talked. 

Well, who knows…but it’s a great story for holiday dinners. 

 But for sure the music has always been in me. I grew up in New York

and Connecticut and went to Yale and Harvard Law School (long story…),

all the while playing in various bands,performing in musical theater,

and writing songs. 

After headlining a show in New York City I had an epiphany –

I loved performing, but I didn’t crave it or the limelight

the way I think you need to if you want to be a star. 

What I really craved was….to make music. 

And I realized I could do it for other people.

So I moved to Los Angeles and started honing my writing and producing craft. 

After several years,

I had my first Number One hit as a writer and arranger:  “I Don’t Have The Heart” by James Ingram.  And the ball was rolling.  Next, Whitney Houston recorded “Run To You” for her film “The Bodyguard”.  I made the record with David Foster, worked on producing Whitney’s vocals and even sang backgrounds with her.  “Run To You”  was nominated for an Oscar and a Grammy.  Then I wrote “For The First Time” for the film “One Fine Day” with Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney.  Kenny Loggins performed it and the song garnered another Oscar and Grammy and also a Golden Globe nomination.

Along the way, there were lots more hits and nominations, with amazing artists such as Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Leann Rimes, Chaka Khan, Kristine W., Oleta Adams, Gladys Knight and Dave Koz.  And recently, big records with Charice (“The Truth Is”), Toni Braxton (“If I Have To Wait”) and Kimberley Locke of American Idol fame, number one singles on the number one CDs of Italian divas Giorgia and Elisa, and songs recorded by massive pop/classical group The Tenors on their Juno-winning CD, Right Said Fred and many more.  Also a couple of things for television:  the theme song from the Michael Jackson show “Man In The Mirror” (“Believe In Me”) and the score for the t.v. film “The Prince and The Pizza Boy”, starring Joey Lawrence.  (One of my biggest t.v. successes;  I still get mobbed by little kids on the street.  Haha.)

65 million records sold worldwide.   At last count.  Nominations for 2 Academy Awards, 2 Grammys, 2 Golden Globes and, for artists singing my songs, nominations for two more Grammys and a Soul Train Award.

In March 2016 The Grammy Museum did a special night celebrating the more than 25 year career of my long term songwriting partner Allan Rich and me.  Check out the opening video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSGzTu6NOcA.

BIGGEST CUTS AND FEATURED SONGS

Whitney Houston: “Run To You”, from “The Bodyguard” film

  • Academy Award Nominee, “Best Original Song”

  • Grammy Nominee, “Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television”

  • The soundtrack has sold in the high 30 millions of CDs

  • Also on “Whitney: The Greatest Hits” CD

  • Co-arranged with David Foster

Kenny Loggins: “For The First Time”, from “One Fine Day” film

  • Academy Award Nominee, “Best Original Song”

  • Grammy Nominee, “Best Song Written Specifically for a

  • Motion Picture or Television”

  • Golden Globe Award nominee, “Best Song From a Motion Picture”

  • #1 Adult Contemporary single in Billboard and R&R

James Ingram: “I Don’t Have The Heart”

  • #1 Billboard Hot 100 Single

  • #1 Adult Contemporary single in R&R

  • Co-arranged with Thom Bell

Elisa:  “No Hero” – Number 1 single on Number 1 CD;  also “Love As A Kinda War”

Charice: “The Truth Is”, on debut CD

Toni Braxton: “If I Have To Wait”

Ray Charles: “So Help Me God”, Co-Produced with Richard Perry

Right Said Fred: “SXAHOLIC”, current (4/12) single in Europe and upcoming in U.S.

Leann Rimes: “A Different Kind Of Christmas”, hit single from Christmas CD

Barbra Streisand: “Circle”, on multiplatinum “Higher Ground” CD

Giorgia: “L’Amore Che Conta/Hostage” – Number 1 single on Number 1 CD

Canadian Tenors: “Vinceremo”, from Juno award-winning CD

Lauren Christy: “The Color Of The Night”, from “Color Of Night” film

  • Golden Globe Award Nominee, “Best Song From a Motion Picture”

  • Produced by Jud

Rod Stewart: “For The First Time”

Kimberley Locke: “You Don’t Have To Be Strong”

Oleta Adams: “I Just Had To Hear Your Voice”

  • Soul Train Award nominee, “Best R&B Single by a Female”

Kristine W: “Stronger”, #1 dance hit; “Stand In Love”, co-produced by Jud

Tina Turner: “Thief Of Hearts”, on multiplatinum “Wildest Dreams” CD

Chaka Khan: “Your Love Is All I Know”, from Greatest Hits CD

Prince For A Day: TV Movie Starring Joey Lawrence – “Don’t Lose Heart”, various other songs, all score

  • Songs and score Produced by Jud

  • Co-Associate Music Supervisor

“Michael Jackson Man in the Mirror” – TV Movie – “Believe in Me”, Produced by Jud

Dave Koz: “That’s The Way I Feel About You”, “Lucky Man”,”December Makes Me Feel That Way”

  • Last song Grammy Nominee, “Best Pop Instrumental”

Jonathan Butler: “It’s Already There”

Gladys Knight: “Where Would I Be”

Chante Moore: “As If We Never Met”, “Thou Shalt Not” – produced by Jud

Bebe & Cece Winans: “If Anything Ever Happened To You”, “Count It All Joy”

  • First song Grammy Nominee, “Best R&B Performance by Duo or Group”, Co-arranged with Arif Mardin

  • Second song #1 Contemporary Christian single

Phyllis Hyman: “I Refuse To Be Lonely”

  • Co-Produced with Nick Martinelli

Wendy Matthews: “Let’s Kiss Like Angels”

  • Top Five single in Australia, on Platinum CD

Katarzyna “Kasia” Skrzynecka: “Isn’t It Amazing” and “Cry Cry”

  • Former produced by Jud

Dewi: “Through My Hands Like Sand”

Sweetbox: “Bulletproof”

Lucas Grabeel: “Jenny Got A Fever”, from “Alice” film

  • Produced by Jud

UPCOMING

Giorgia:  “Queen”

Glennis Grace:  “Hurts Like Hell” and more

Leonie Meijer:  “Same River Twice” (Dutch version)

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