by Steve Dorff with Colette Freedman
Montclair, NJ
(November 2, 2017)
- One of the most successful
songwriters and composers of the last 25 years, Steve Dorff has penned
over 20 Top 10 hits for pop and country artists around the world,
including Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Blake Shelton, Smokey Robinson,
Kenny Rogers, Ray Charles, Anne Murray, Whitney Houston, George Strait,
Dolly Parton, Judy Collins, Cher, Dusty Springfield, Ringo Starr, and
Garth Brooks. He has scored for television shows, including Growing Pains, Murphy Brown, Murder She Wrote, and Reba, and several films, such as Any Which Way but Loose, for which he penned the titular song.
Steve has now written his next hit, I Wrote That One, Too... A Life in Songwriting from Willie to Whitney
(Backbeat Books Hardcover; November 1, 2017; $29.99), a memoir
recounting his remarkable journey filled with amazing successes, happy
accidents in the studio, incredible friendships, tremendous creative
satisfaction, and sometimes just plain being at the right place at the
right time with the right song in hand. He writes:
"I
truly have loved being that 'behind-the-scenes' guy, maintaining my
anonymity, and being able to walk past the obnoxious Paparazzi at great
restaurants without them giving me a second glance. In my opinion, being
a songwriter who has had a successful career and doing what he is
passionate about, is an award in itself."
The book
follows Steve from his childhood in Queens to Manhattan to Nashville to
his eventual arrival in Los Angeles. Steve shares anecdotes, advice,
and insights into his phenomenal career and recounts his experiences and
sometimes-hilarious behind-the-scenes stories with the many famous
singers, musicians, producers, and lyric writers with whom he has
collaborated. He also gets personal and shares what he has learned about
strength, courage, perseverance, and unconditional love from three
important women in his life: his first wife and his mother-who passed
away within a few months of each other-and his big sister, who died in
May 2016.
Full of heartfelt stories, hard-earned wisdom, and delightful wit, I Wrote That One, Too...
is a great read for musicians, music fans, and whoever has chased a
dream and survived the surprising but often serendipitous turns in the
road.
