Nitzsche was born in Chicago and raised on a farm in
Newaygo, Michigan, the son of German immigrants. He moved to Los Angeles in 1955 with ambitions of becoming a jazz saxophonist. He was hired by
Sonny Bono, who was at the time an
A&R executive at Specialty Records, as a
music copyist. While there, Nitzsche wrote a novelty hit titled "Bongo Bongo Bongo". With Bono, Nitzsche wrote the song "
Needles and Pins" for
Jackie DeShannon, later recorded by
the Searchers. He became arranger and conductor for producer
Phil Spector, by
Ike and Tina Turner. Nitzsche worked with
Earl Palmer,
Leon Russell,
Roy Caton,
Glen Campbell,
Carol Kaye and
Hal Blaine in
The Wrecking Crew, the backing band for many pop acts such as
the Beach Boys and
the Monkees. Nitzsche arranged the
title song of
Doris Day's film
Move Over, Darling, which was a successful single on the pop charts of the time. While organizing the music for the
T.A.M.I. Show television special in 1964, he met
the Rolling Stones and went on to play keyboards on their albums
The Rolling Stones, Now! (
The Rolling Stones No. 2 in the UK),
Out of Our Heads,
Aftermath and
Between the Buttons as well as on their hit singles "
Paint It, Black" and "
Let's Spend the Night Together"; he also wrote the choral arrangements for "
You Can't Always Get What You Want". He collaborated with
Neil Young, Later that year, he was dropped from the
Reprise roster after recording a song criticizing executive
Mo Ostin. This period culminated in his arrest for allegedly breaking into the home of and then raping ex-girlfriend
Carrie Snodgress, formerly Young's companion, with a gun barrel on June 29, 1979. Snodgress was treated at the hospital for a bone fracture, cuts and bruises and had 18 stitches. The charge of rape by instrumentation (which carries a five-year sentence) was dismissed. In 1979, Nitzsche produced
Graham Parker's album
Squeezing Out Sparks. Nitzsche produced three
Mink DeVille albums beginning in the late 1970s:
Cabretta (1977),
Return to Magenta (1978) and
Coup de Grâce (1981). Nitzsche said DeVille was the best singer he had ever worked with. Nitzsche began to concentrate more on film music rather than pop music in the mid-1970s, becoming one of the more prolific film orchestrators in Hollywood during the period. In 1983, he received the Academy Award for Best Song for co-writing "Up Where We Belong" (from the 1982 film
An Officer and a Gentleman)
Hardcore (1979), ''
The Razor's Edge (1984) and Starman (also 1984). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score and a Grammy for his contributions to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'', his first of many studio projects with
Scott Mathews. In the mid-1990s, an inebriated Nitzsche was seen being arrested in Hollywood in an episode of the television show
Cops after brandishing a gun at some youths who had stolen his hat. Attempting to explain himself to the arresting officers, he is heard exclaiming that he was an Academy Award winner. In 1997, he expressed interest in producing a comeback album for
Link Wray, although this never materialized due to their mutually declining health. In 2000, Nitzsche planned to work with
Mercury Rev on
All Is Dream. Nitzsche intended to produce and orchestrate the record, having praised the band's 1998 album ''
Deserter's Songs'', but he died before pre-production. == Personal life ==