Burt's Birthday

[mark]

Settling the debate once and for all, a British correspondent emailed me a copy that he had obtained of Burt's birth certificate.

The correct date is May 12, 1928, making Burt 76 years old as of a week ago.

[warbachavid]

I hate to say I hold you so!

[mark]

You did.

[ron hertel]

Looking on the "bright side" - now we only have to wait "24 years" for the "Burt Bacharach Centennial Celebration"

[Guest]

My whole life I read he was born in 1928. That's why, people were claiming 1929, I had a hard time believing that EVERY source I had read had been wrong.


However, in the Sun-Sentinel newspaper, just a few weeks ago, when it was Burt's birthday, they had him listed as 75 years old. So I wondered where they got the 1929 year from?

Someone who frequents this site said that Burt told him personally that 1929 was when he was born.

But when all is said and done, I have to believe 1928 is the year.

(Truth be told, I wish Burt was 30 now and just starting again!)

[mark]

I never did a talley, but I know I'd seen his birth year listed as both 1928 and 1929. I vacillated on the issue, especially when one of the correspondents here said Burt had personally told him 1929 was correct. Obviously, there was a miscommunication or perhaps Burt was engaged in the grand old show business tradition of exercising creative license with regard to his age. Either way, I don't think it's much of an issue to anyone but the most obsessive fans, of which admittedly we have quite a few here. Burt is in excellent health from everything I've read and takes good care of himself, so I feel confident that we've got more than a few good years of performing and composing in store.

[gabba]

you're right Mark! who cares if he's 75 or 76...he looks younger than his age and with an amazing energy!...uhm...BURT! tell us finally how old are you!!...so the guys will stop to argue!!...THE BIGGEST HANDSHAKE (anyway thanks for this forum who's going marvelous!)

[magic moments]

"BERT" Bacharach (sr) was a friend of my father's. His son was born in 1929. It is notable to understand that many documents in those days were miscommunicated...especially on paper. (the days before computers...even though computers are wrong sometimes, too.) It was always kind of a "joke" in my home growing up...that Burt is only 22 years older than me. (I was born in 1951) However Mark is correct that it doesn't matter...but..... Burt and Bert always said 1929...even when Burt was a youngster!!!

[Guest]

Thanks for hopefully putting this "most crucial issue" to rest -Magic Moments! I consider your source to be the most "credible" to date. Back in the 50's - I obtained my first driver's license a year early by falsifying my age by one year. I lived in fear of being "caught" and finally set the record straight when I moved to California. Could our "hero" have been guilty of a similar "criminal act"?

[Guest]

*Civility*

At an earlier date I tried to explain to Mark why I thought getting the date straight was important. I argued that his site, which includes remarkable research material, would be devaluing much of its content by getting such a basic fact wrong. This, I argued, would keep people from trusting and making good use of such material and would eventually keep people from writing stories about Burt. Earlier this month someone visited the site in search of biographial material for a piece (TV? Magazine?) on Burt on account of what he believed was Burt's upcoming 75th birthday. He was sent on his way as he was told Burt was 76.
The good point recently made here, and repeated by me on the earlier ocasion I wrote on this, is that Burt is said to have said that he was born in 1929. Given this, I think it is really unpolite that those who know about it would state categorically that he was born on another date. I don't know if Burt did say he was born in 1929, but I would not recommend that another date is said to be correct unless Burt himself says so. Much less do I think that Burt deserves that we start speculating about... of all things... why he would have lied.
With friends like these...
(Again, I insist that the issue is important, if for no other reason, because unless it is settled, some people will refrain from writing about Burt. Who wants to be challenged the next day on such a basic fact and have her entire work lose credibility? People should not assume that those who care about the date are just disingenuous groupies. Enough with the insinuations, please. Burt and forum participants deserve more respect.)

[mark]

I would hope that everyone who weighs in on this topic exercises restraint and respects the opinions of others. That said, it's kind of a no-win proposition for me. If I fail to try to determine Burt's true birth year, some people will criticize me for neglecting my role as a provider of reliable, credible information on Bacharach. If I pursue the question, others will criticize me for being overly concerned with a trivial detail unrelated to Burt's music. I'm trying to take the middle ground. I'm interested in publishing the correct year, but I'm not a biographer and the information presented on a Web site is not etched in stone.

I have seen a copy of Burt's birth certificate which appears to me to be authentic. The year listed on the certificate, in two places, is 1928. I realize that mistakes are sometimes made on documents, but the fact that someone entered by hand the year 1928 twice--for both the birth date and the date that the certificate was filled out--leads me to believe that 1928 is the correct year. I remain open to the possibility that it's a mistake, but I'd need to hear a reasonable explanation of how such an error could have taken place. (Or some proof that the certificate is a fake).

And if I'm ever lucky enough to get the chance to talk with Burt, his birth year is, for better or worse, not among the things I'm most interested in asking him about.

[ron hertel]

Mark:
Your position on this issue is valid. Had Burt been born in January or even February (when most of us erroneously write the previous year when dating our checks etc.) I could understand writing down the wrong year (even twice). Perhaps Burt's manager would be kind enough to respond to a request from you for the "correct date" How would you like dealing with this issue on a "Joan Rivers" or "Zsa Zsa Gabor" Discussion Board???

[magic moments]

Hello again.... you know, I can see both sides, people that really care about the year....and people that it really doesn't matter. Maybe I can help by taking this a step further. I previously 'posted' that Mr. Bacharach (sr) was a friend of my father's...and I knew for a fact the birth year was 1929. My father was an attorney....born in 'both'..(yes) 1906 and 1907..... my 'grandfather' had documentation from WW1 that he was born both is 1892 and 1893...my mother had a THREE year difference on her driver's licence up until the time she was able to collect social security....then went thry H--- trying to get it documented correctly because her birth certificate and her baptism certificate(also a legal paper) both indicated different birth years. The point I am trying to make is that my father told me that most....yes about 50 to 60 percent... of handwritten legal papers....PRIOR to WW11..(1940's) indicated a percentage of errors of birthdates...this being that many documents (ie..birth cerificates ) that were hand written were entered in and wriiten a few years after a child was born, therefore 7 times out of 10 a year was put down that was not accurate....but at the time was not thought to be harmful. I hope this helps... By the way...my father was born in 1907 (his certificate, one of them..was inacurate) and Burt was born in 1929. thanks everyone

[guest]

Your all wrong Burt just turned 39.