Jack Nitzsche
b. 22 April 1937, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Nitzsche's long career began in the late '50s when he joined a cabal of young, Los Angeles-based, aspiring entrepreneurs including Lee Hazelwood, Lou Adler and Nick Venet. He became acquainted with Sonny Bono, then head of A&R at Specialty Records, with whom he wrote Needles And Pins, later an international hit for the Searchers. Nitzsche established his reputation as an arranger through an association with Phil Spector. His contribution to recordings by the Crystals, Ronettes, Righteous Brothers and Ike And Tina Turner should not be under- emphasized, while a similar relationship with the The Rolling Stones resulted in several of the group's classic releases, notably The Last Time, Satisfaction and Get Off Of My Cloud. Nitzsche also enjoyed success in his own right as a performer with The Lonely Surfer (1963), before garnering further acclaim for his arranging/production skills for Jackie DeShannon, P.J. Proby and Bob Lind. In 1966 he co-produced Expecting To Fly for Buffalo Springfield, a track essentially viewed as a solo vehicle for group guitarist Neil Young. Their relationship continued when the latter opted for a solo career and Nitzsche not only assisted with the recording of NEIL YOUNG and HARVEST, but joined the on-tour backing group, Crazy Horse, contributing extensively to their debut album. Having scored the film PERFORMANCE, Nitzsche won considerable approbation for similar work for THE EXORCIST and ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST. The artist also rekindled solo aspirations with the neo-classical ST. GILES CRIPPLEGATE, before enjoying further success with arrangements for Mac Davis, Randy Newman and the Tubes. He remains an integral part of the US west coast music industry.