Item 366 - Slow hand

Born in Long Beach, California, lyricist John Bettis' interest in music began with classical training in trumpet at the age of eight. At Long Beach State College, his friendship with brother and sister Richard and Karen Carpenter developed into the three starting the “Spectrum” band, and Bettis’ talent for writing lyrics was soon revealed. In 1966, this developed into “The Carpenters” singing duo. Bettis went on to a career that spanned country, rhythm and blues, and pop in radio, film and television; writing for generations of singing stars. The ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) database credits him with 800 works. His biggest hit was “Human Nature” written for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album. Other hits were Madonna’s “Crazy for you,” the Pointer Sisters’ “Slow Hand," and the 1988 Olympics theme song (co-written with Albert Hammond), Dionne Warwick’s “One Moment in Time,” sung by Dionne Warwick. He was nominated for an Oscar for the last. He also received many Emmy and Grammy nominations and won numerous times. In 2011 he was inducted into both the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. His songs have sold 250 million records worldwide.

American pop country songwriter Michael Clark has hit the charts several times on both the Billboard US Hot Country list and the Hot 100. His 1978 song “Come on in” performed by the Oak Ridge Boys, peaked at No. 3 on the former, as did “Savin’ My Love for You,” sung by Pake McEntire in 1986 and “Big Love,” written with Jeff Stevens in 1996 and sung by Tracy Byrd (not the same as the 1987 Fleetwood Mac song). His 1993 “Reckless,” also written with Jeff Stevens and recorded by the group “Alabama,” peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Clark’s biggest hit, however, was his 1981 “Slow Hand,” written with John Bettis, which launched the careers of the Pointer Sisters. This song reached number 2 on the Hot 100 and stayed there for five weeks. Clark wrote over 400 songs in total.