John DeNicola
Encyclopedia
John DeNicola is an American
songwriter and producer who, in 1988, won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award
, as well as receiving a Grammy
nomination for co-writing the song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life
", which became the signature theme in the soundtrack of the film Dirty Dancing
. In 1989 he was the co-winner of ASCAP Awards' "Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures" for "Time of My Life" as well as for "Hungry Eyes
", another song from the film. In addition to Dirty Dancing hits for Bill Medley
, Jennifer Warnes
and Eric Carmen
, he has also written songs with and for Eddie Money
, John Waite
, Kristine W
, Steve Holy
, Jeannie Kendall, Sugar Jones
, Annie Haslam
, Bernie Worrell
, The Sighs and Martin Briley
.
and a longtime resident of its historic, traditionally associated with artists, neighborhood of Greenwich Village
, John DeNicola began his musical career as a bass player with "Flight", a band which recorded for Motown in 1980 and was sampled by Erikah Badu on her hit song "Back in the Day". He subsequently played bass with such pop recording artists as Paul Young
and Corey Hart, before concentrating on songwriting and producing.
At the end of the 1980s, upon co-writing the award-winning songs for Dirty Dancing with his collaborators Franke Previte
and Donald Markowitz, he had the biggest hits of his career. The Oscar and Golden Globe wins, along with the Grammy nomination and ASCAP Award, raised his industry profile to a high degree. Eric Carmen's performance of "Hungry Eyes" on the film's soundtrack also became a big hit, with the single going to number 4 on Billboard Singles Chart in 1988.
Black Eyed Peas new single "The Time (the dirty bit)" was released in November 2010 and is a smash-up of "Time of My Life" and BEP with will.i.am
and Fergie singing the duet.
) debut CD for Reprise Records
, Chris Von Sniedern for Big Deal/Caroline Records
, the Soundtrack to the film "St. Patrick's Day"; the debut CD for The Vegas Nerve; as well as new emerging artists like Shevy Smith, * The Medics and Le Rug, for whom he produced a 13 song LP for Le Rug. Prior to starting his own label, he had shared an imprint; Omad/Paradigm Records. Bruce Henderson's debut CD, "The Wheels Roll" was released through Omad/Paradigm Records, reached the Top 10 on the Gavin Americana charts and received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone and USA Today.
As owner and operator of "Jake's Kitchen Sink" Recording Studios, a 24 track audio and demo facility in Greenwich Village, he established, in 1999, a personal independent record label Omad Records, which has issued the debut CD for Philadelphia based alternative band, The Vegas Nerve, entitled "Killjoys Anonymous." Omad released a CD from Colorado-based band Acoustic Junction "Strange Days" in 2000.
John DeNicola is married, has one son, and lives in Greenwich Village where he continues to write songs and works with new musical talent.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
songwriter and producer who, in 1988, won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
, as well as receiving a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for co-writing the song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life
(I've Had) The Time of My Life
" The Time of My Life" is a song composed by Franke Previte, John DeNicola, and Donald Markowitz. It was recorded by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, after having been selected to be the finale song for the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, by choreographer Kenny Ortega and his assistant Miranda Garrison...
", which became the signature theme in the soundtrack of the film Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing is a 1987 American romantic film. Written by Eleanor Bergstein and directed by Emile Ardolino, the film features Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the lead roles, as well as Cynthia Rhodes and Jerry Orbach...
. In 1989 he was the co-winner of ASCAP Awards' "Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures" for "Time of My Life" as well as for "Hungry Eyes
Hungry Eyes
"Hungry Eyes" is a song performed by Eric Carmen, and was featured in the film Dirty Dancing. The song was recorded at Beachwood Studios in Beachwood, OH in 1987. "Hungry Eyes" peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts in 1988...
", another song from the film. In addition to Dirty Dancing hits for Bill Medley
Bill Medley
William Thomas Medley is an American singer and songwriter, best known as one half of The Righteous Brothers....
, Jennifer Warnes
Jennifer Warnes
Jennifer Jean Warnes is an American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. She is known for her interpretations of compositions written by herself and many others, as well as an extensive playlist as a vocalist on movie soundtracks.Between 1979 and 1987 Warnes surpassed Frank Sinatra as...
and Eric Carmen
Eric Carmen
Eric Howard Carmen is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist.He scored numerous hit songs across the 1970s and 1980s, first as a member of the Raspberries , and then with his solo career, including hits such as "All By Myself", "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", "She Did It",...
, he has also written songs with and for Eddie Money
Eddie Money
Eddie Money is an American rock guitarist, saxophonist and singer-songwriter who found success in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of Top 40 hits and platinum albums...
, John Waite
John Waite
John Charles Waite is an English rock singer and musician. He was lead vocalist for The Babys and Bad English. As a solo artist, he scored several international hits, including 1984's "Missing You", a top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, reaching #1 in the...
, Kristine W
Kristine W
Kristine W, born Kristine Weitz, is an American singer-songwriter. She has released seven albums, three of them through major labels, plus an early recording she sells to fans through her website...
, Steve Holy
Steve Holy
Steve Holy is an American country music artist. Signed to Curb Records since 1999, he has released three studio albums: 2000's Blue Moon 2006's Brand New Girlfriend and 2011's Love Don't Run...
, Jeannie Kendall, Sugar Jones
Sugar Jones
Sugar Jones was a Canadian pop group created on the first season of the Canadian version of Popstars. It consisted of five members chosen from thousands of people who auditioned for the group...
, Annie Haslam
Annie Haslam
Annie Haslam is an English progressive rock vocalist and songwriter.Originally a fashion student, she began studying under opera singer Sybil Knight in 1970 and developed her five-octave vocal range...
, Bernie Worrell
Bernie Worrell
George Bernard "Bernie" Worrell, Jr. is an American keyboardist and composer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic...
, The Sighs and Martin Briley
Martin Briley
Martin Briley is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist.He has recorded with and written for a variety of well-known musicians, as well as releasing four solo albums in his own right.-Beginnings and early bands:...
.
Songwriter
A native of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and a longtime resident of its historic, traditionally associated with artists, neighborhood of Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, John DeNicola began his musical career as a bass player with "Flight", a band which recorded for Motown in 1980 and was sampled by Erikah Badu on her hit song "Back in the Day". He subsequently played bass with such pop recording artists as Paul Young
Paul Young (singer and guitarist)
Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...
and Corey Hart, before concentrating on songwriting and producing.
At the end of the 1980s, upon co-writing the award-winning songs for Dirty Dancing with his collaborators Franke Previte
Franke Previte
Franke Jon Previte is a composer who grew up in New Brunswick, New Jersey.-Biography:He was with the New Jersey rock quintet Franke and the Knockouts as the singer and songwriter. Previously he had sung with the Oxford Watch Band and the heavy metal band Bull Angus. Franke and the Knockouts were...
and Donald Markowitz, he had the biggest hits of his career. The Oscar and Golden Globe wins, along with the Grammy nomination and ASCAP Award, raised his industry profile to a high degree. Eric Carmen's performance of "Hungry Eyes" on the film's soundtrack also became a big hit, with the single going to number 4 on Billboard Singles Chart in 1988.
Black Eyed Peas new single "The Time (the dirty bit)" was released in November 2010 and is a smash-up of "Time of My Life" and BEP with will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
and Fergie singing the duet.
Record Producer
John DeNicola has produced records for a number of artists, including The Sighs, Kara's Flowers (later to become Maroon 5Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
) debut CD for Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
, Chris Von Sniedern for Big Deal/Caroline Records
Caroline Records
Caroline Records started out as a subsidiary of Richard Branson's Virgin Records label during the early to mid 1970s. The label originally specialized in putting out budget price LPs by mainly progressive rock and jazz artists generally not considered to have a great deal of 'mainstream' or...
, the Soundtrack to the film "St. Patrick's Day"; the debut CD for The Vegas Nerve; as well as new emerging artists like Shevy Smith, * The Medics and Le Rug, for whom he produced a 13 song LP for Le Rug. Prior to starting his own label, he had shared an imprint; Omad/Paradigm Records. Bruce Henderson's debut CD, "The Wheels Roll" was released through Omad/Paradigm Records, reached the Top 10 on the Gavin Americana charts and received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone and USA Today.
As owner and operator of "Jake's Kitchen Sink" Recording Studios, a 24 track audio and demo facility in Greenwich Village, he established, in 1999, a personal independent record label Omad Records, which has issued the debut CD for Philadelphia based alternative band, The Vegas Nerve, entitled "Killjoys Anonymous." Omad released a CD from Colorado-based band Acoustic Junction "Strange Days" in 2000.
John DeNicola is married, has one son, and lives in Greenwich Village where he continues to write songs and works with new musical talent.