John Capek
John Joseph Capek[1] is a composer, arranger, keyboardist, producer.
John Capek | |
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| Born | Prague |
| Occupation | Composer |
Biography
John Capek was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic).[2] He is the son of a concert pianist and Mechanical Engineer, survivor of Terezin and Auschwitz and his wife, also a survivor of Terezin and Auschwitz.[3] Capek moved with his family to Melbourne, Australia at the age of three. His father was his first piano teacher showed him the works of Czech composers Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvorak which he was playing at the age of three. Capek’s wife Batsheva, born in Toronto, Canada, is a singer and guitar player, known for her Yiddish and Hebrew songs.[4]
Career
Capek studied piano as a child and then later, influenced by Little Richard, Ray Charles and Chuck Berry, co-founded Carson, one of Australia's premier blues bands. He graduated as a Chemical Engineer but left this job soon to pursue his passion ... music. Capek then played in the bands King Harvest, Flite and with Aussie superstars Doug Parkinson and Renee Geyer. In 1973 he emigrated to Canada.
In Toronto Capek played keyboards and arranged songs for Marc Jordan, Ian Thomas, Dan Hill and Dianne Brooks, and produced hit recordings for Hill, Ken Tobias, The Good Brothers, Downchild and Amy Sky. He formed a songwriting partnership with Jordan and moved to Los Angeles, placing songs with René Shuman, Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, Diana Ross, Manhattan Transfer, Isaac Hayes and many others. As a session musician, he recorded with legendary producers Humberto Gatica and John Boylan. As John Capek & The Family of Man, he released his debut recording, Indaba (Mesa Blue Moon).
He co-wrote much of the 1984 album One Foot in Front of Australian singer John Paul Young (famous of "Love Is in the Air").
Returning to Toronto in 1995 John continued writing for Stewart, as well as for Cher, Amanda Marshall, Bonnie Raitt amongst others and also scored the television series "Grandpa's Garden" and "Letters to God".
Appointments
Former director of the Songwriters Association of Canada and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and founding faculty member of the songwriting program at the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Songwriting
An exceptionally prolific pop songwriter, Capek is noted for his use of complex harmonies, mostly associated with Tin Pan Alley. His biggest success to date has been "Rhythm of My Heart," with Rod Stewart. Other Capek hits include "Take Me Home," with Joe Cocker and featured in the film Blown Away, "Promises," with Amanda Marshall, "Love So High," with Cher and "Deep Water" with Bonnie Raitt. His songs have also been recorded by artists in the Czech Republic, and used in films such as Cocktail, The Silencer and The Perfect Storm.
References
External links
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