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Bond lyricist Don Black has just published his autobiography
"Wrestling With Elephants"...
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Don Black - Wrestling With Elephants
17th June 2003
Don Black might not be a familiar name with casual Bond fans,
but many will have hummed his words without realising it. His
connection with Bond started back in 1965 with "Thunderball",
when he penned the famous lyrics for the title theme performed
by Tom Jones.
With a career as a lyricist, composer, writer, producer and broadcaster
spanning forty years, Oscar™ winner for "Born Free",
five Academy Award nominations, three Tony nominations, five Ivor
Novello Awards, a Golden Globe and many platinum, gold and silver
discs, his new autobiography "Wrestling With Elephants"
has a lot to cram within its 320 pages.
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Written by James Inverne and Don Black, the book charts
his career from project to project, where Black comes across
as an extremely enthusiastic artist, with a strong commitment
to his work.
Interspersed between the tales of film and stage productions
are amusing and heartfelt stories mapping his life from
growing up in a working class family on a Hackney council
estate in London's West End in the 1950s, to where he is
today. Both the highs and lows are written about in a modest,
down to earth manner, with Black taking an unpretentious
and honest retrospective view of his career.
John Barry, Bond composer extraordinaire and old friend
to Black, pens the foreword to the book and writes from
the heart about his work, their collaborations, and his
respect for Black's talents.
Some of the highlights of the book include his stories
of his Oscar™ win for "Born Free" and his
OBE from the Queen in 1999. Artists and colleagues from
his career have also made contributions, including Lulu
who he collaborated with on The Man With The Golden Gun"
theme.
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Music fans will delight in Don Black's "Ten Golden Rules"
of lyric writing, as well as over 30 photographs from his personal
life and various moments in his career.
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MI6 Biography
Name: Don Black
Born: 21 June 1936 - London, England, UK
Portfolio
"Thunderball" - Lyricist
"Diamonds Are Forever" - Lyricist
"The Man With The Golden Gun" - Lyricist
"Tomorrow Never Dies" - "Surrender" Lyricist
"The World Is Not Enough" - Lyricist
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