Billy Stritch (born February , in Houston, Texas) is an American
composer, arranger, vocalist, and jazz pianist. For many years, he was
best known as a "confidant", music director, and piano player for Liza
Minnelli.Stritch was born on February , in Houston, Texas, and raised
in Sugar Land, Texas. At the age of or , he heard big band music for
the first time, and went to the large suburban John Foster Dulles High
School (Class of ) of Sugar Land, TX that had a "great" music
education program, in which he played in the "jazz band". He played in
a jazz vocal trio while at college that played jazz festivals for nine
years. The trio broke up and Stritch moved to New York City. He
attended Dulles High School and the University of Houston.Stritch
recorded his first album in , the self-styled jazz LP, Billy
Stritch.Stritch and Sandy Knox composed the Grammy Award-winning
country song, "Does He Love You," which was recorded by Reba McEntire
and Linda Davis. The song, about a love triangle, follows a common
trope. It peaked as a number one Country music hit in both Canada and
the United States, and ended as the nd biggest hit in Canada, and in
the top in the United States. The single went on to win the Grammy
award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration, and although nominated,
Stritch lost the best song Grammy to Mary Chapin Carpenter for
Passionate Kisses. Stritch and Knox had written the song when they
were part of the trio back in , but until McEntire "grabbed it ... in
" and made a surprise hit with it, nobody had recorded the ballad;
even Wynonna Judd rejected it because she "didn't like to sing songs
about marital problems." In , Minnelli released the song as a duet
with Donna Summer, from Minnelli's album, "Gently". In , it appeared
on Patti LaBelle's album, Flame.
composer, arranger, vocalist, and jazz pianist. For many years, he was
best known as a "confidant", music director, and piano player for Liza
Minnelli.Stritch was born on February , in Houston, Texas, and raised
in Sugar Land, Texas. At the age of or , he heard big band music for
the first time, and went to the large suburban John Foster Dulles High
School (Class of ) of Sugar Land, TX that had a "great" music
education program, in which he played in the "jazz band". He played in
a jazz vocal trio while at college that played jazz festivals for nine
years. The trio broke up and Stritch moved to New York City. He
attended Dulles High School and the University of Houston.Stritch
recorded his first album in , the self-styled jazz LP, Billy
Stritch.Stritch and Sandy Knox composed the Grammy Award-winning
country song, "Does He Love You," which was recorded by Reba McEntire
and Linda Davis. The song, about a love triangle, follows a common
trope. It peaked as a number one Country music hit in both Canada and
the United States, and ended as the nd biggest hit in Canada, and in
the top in the United States. The single went on to win the Grammy
award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration, and although nominated,
Stritch lost the best song Grammy to Mary Chapin Carpenter for
Passionate Kisses. Stritch and Knox had written the song when they
were part of the trio back in , but until McEntire "grabbed it ... in
" and made a surprise hit with it, nobody had recorded the ballad;
even Wynonna Judd rejected it because she "didn't like to sing songs
about marital problems." In , Minnelli released the song as a duet
with Donna Summer, from Minnelli's album, "Gently". In , it appeared
on Patti LaBelle's album, Flame.
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