Person

Bettis, John

1946-

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.