Will Jennings

One of the most awarded songwriters of his generation, Will Jennings is associated with hits by Whitney Houston, Eric Clapton and Céline Dion. Born Wilbur Herschel Jennings in Kilgore, Texas, on June 27, 1944, he taught English at Tyler High School and then at university, before changing career paths. He moved to Nashville, where he began writing songs, and then to Los Angeles, where he worked with composer Richard Kerr. After a first success in 1977 for Barry Manilow with the hit "Somewhere in the Night", the lyricist was nominated for an Oscar in 1980 for his contribution to the soundtrack of the film The Competition, composed by Lalo Schifrin. He collaborated with Steve Winwood on several albums and teamed up with Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie to write the song "Up Where We Belong", performed by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, which won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Grammy Award in 1983. In 1991, it was with the ballad "Tears in Heaven", addressed by Eric Clapton to his late son, that Will Jennings won a Golden Globe and a Grammy Award. Six years later, his name was again associated with Céline Dion for the mega-tube "My Heart Will Go On", composed by James Horner for the soundtrack of the film Titanic. The worldwide hit once again brought its lyricist an Oscar, a Golden Globe and three Grammy Awards. Will Jennings has also collaborated with The Crusaders and Randy Crawford, Dionne Warwick, Rodney Crowell, Jimmy Buffett, Roy Orbison, B.B. King, Tim McGraw and Diana Ross, among others. The compilation Blue Skies Forever, released as a 4-CD box set in 1998, sums up his career as a songwriter. On September 6, 2024, Will Jennings died at the age of 80.

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