On this day (August 25) in 2000, Jack Nitzsche died from a heart attack at the Queen of Angels–Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center at the age of 63. He worked closely with pop producer Phil Spector, orchestrating his famous Wall of Sound for some of the biggest names in music. Later, he played keyboard for the Rolling Stones on several albums and helped shape their early 1970s sound. Nitzsche also worked closely with Neil Young as a producer and a member of Crazy Horse. He also worked on multiple film scores, including The Exorcist and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Nitzsche grew up in Michigan and moved to the West Coast when he was 18 to attend Westlake College of Music in Hollywood. After finishing college, he was hired as a music copyist by Specialty Records A&R man Sonny Bono. He also worked for Capitol Records and Original Sound Records.
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In the early 1960s, producer Phil Spector relocated to the West Coast from New York. Nitzsche became his right-hand man, arranging and orchestrating the Wall of Sound for which Spector was known. He worked on classic hits like “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes and “He’s a Rebel” by the Crystals, according to AllMusic.
Jack Nitzsche Worked with Rock Legends
In 1964, Jack Nitzsche met the Rolling Stones while organizing the music for the T.A.M.I. Show. This chance meeting led to years of collaboration. He played keyboards on The Rolling Stones, Now!, Out of Our Heads, Aftermath, and Between the Buttons. Notably, he played on “Paint It Black” and wrote the choral arrangement for “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Nitzsche also introduced the band to legendary slide guitarist Ry Cooder, who was a major influence on the band’s output in the late 1960s and early ’70s.
In 1968, he produced “Expecting to Fly” for Buffalo Springfield. This led to a long partnership with Neil Young. He co-produced Young’s self-titled solo debut. He also played keys on Harvest and Time Fades Away. Nitzsche also worked with Young’s band Crazy Horse from 1970 to 1971. He remained in the band after Young left, but stepped away after the band’s 1971 self-titled debut album flopped.
Work in Film
Jack Nitzsche worked on several classic film scores in the 1970s. His credits include The Exorcist, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Razor’s Edge, and Starman, among others. His work on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest earned him an Oscar Nomination for Best Original Score. The film’s soundtrack also won a Grammy Award. He also worked on the 1970 crime drama, Performance, which featured Mick Jagger.
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He co-wrote “Up Where We Belong” for the film An Officer and a Gentleman with Buffy Sainte-Marie. It won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1983.
Featured Image by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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