Bruce Kimmel has had a long and varied career as an actor, director, writer, and Grammy-nominated record producer. But whenever people have heard one of his songs, the invariable response is, "I had no idea you wrote songs." And so, for his twentieth book and third book of non-fiction, Kimmel presents a book of his lyrics, lyrics written over five and-
a-half decades.
Kimmel began writing music and lyrics when he was fifteen. Since then, has written many musicals, has written songs for cable TV and films, including his 1970s cult movie musical smash, The First Nudie Musical, and is still the only person to have ever had a backer's audition for a show on national television, specifically his first original musical, Start at the Top, on The Merv Griffin Show. This book's title, Simply, is the title of his MAC Award-winning song. Many of his songs have been recorded, many of his shows have cast albums, and this book is filled with lyrics that are funny, touching, and clever. They are lyrics that tell stories, and they are lyrics that are filled with craft and style. But it's not only the lyrics, it's the stories behind the lyrics - how the songs were shaped, details about the shows and films, and explanations of how and why he writes in the way he does.
Culled from his shows, films, TV shows, and standalone songs, these lyrics are indeed a lifetime of lyrics and a lifetime in lyrics.
