Rob (Shrock) Shirakbari is an American musician, composer, record producer, and arranger, best known for being long-time music director for

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

(1985–present) and

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...

(1996 - 2010) and as producer, co-writer, and music director for Rumer (2013–present). Shirakbari has worked with

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

Wynonna Judd Wynonna Ellen Judd or simply Wynonna ( ; born Christina Claire Ciminella; May 30, 1964) is an American country music singer. She is one of the most widely recognized and awarded female country singers. In all, she has had 19 No. 1 singles, incl ...

Duffy Duffy may refer to: People *Duffy (surname), people with the surname Duffy or Duffey *Duffy (nickname) *Duffy (singer) (born 1984), Welsh singer, born Aimee Ann Duffy Places *Duffy, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Duffy, Ohio ...

Ronald Isley Ronald Isley (; born May 21, 1941) is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sally ...

Peabo Bryson Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson (born April 13, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads (often as a duet with female singers) including the 1983 hit "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" with Roberta Flack. Bryson ...

Chris Botti Christopher Stephen Botti ( ; born October 12, 1962) is an award-winning American trumpeter and composer. In 2013, Botti won the Grammy Award in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category, for the album ''Impressions''. He was also nominated in ...

, and

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

among other successful recording artists. He served on the

NARAS The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

Board of Governors for the Texas Chapter from 1998 to 2000.

Early life

Shirakbari was born in Dermott, Arkansas, on November 15, 1963, to parents Nasser and Betty Kay (née Seamans) Shirakbari. His father is a retired pharmaceutical doctor and his mother is a retired pharmacy technician. Shirakbari began playing trumpet at ten years old in his elementary school band. He later began playing guitar and teaching himself to play piano at age thirteen. His composing and conducting career started early by writing the Alma Mater for his Junior high school which was debuted with the school's concert band. He later studied piano with renowned teacher, Marjorie Mae Bond, and studied composition with Francis McBeth at

Ouachita Baptist University Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita (pronounced WAH-shi-tah) River, which forms the eastern campus boundary. It is affiliated with the Arka ...

. In high school, he played keyboards and guitar in several bands and developed his songwriting and recording skills.

Music career

Dionne Warwick

Shirakbari began working with Dionne Warwick in 1985. He has toured extensively with her around the world as her music director, arranger, and pianist. He has produced and performed on albums, ''

Friends Can Be Lovers ''Friends Can Be Lovers'' is the twenty-ninth studio album by American singer Dionne Warwick. Her tenth album for Arista Records, it was released on January 20, 1993, in the United States. Warwick garthered material from songwriters and producer ...

'' (1993), ''Dionne Sings Dionne'' (1998), ''The Best of Dionne Warwick'' (2001), ''This Christmas'' (2014), and ''She’s Back'' (2019).

Burt Bacharach

Shirakbari began working closely with

in early 1987 when Bacharach and Warwick reunited and began touring together. Shirakbari became Bacharach's protege and was involved in recording sessions and arrangements with Bacharach. In 1996, Shirakbari became Bacharach's music director and together they wrote the arrangements for Bacharach's revamped live show, with many of the arrangements still being played in Burt's live show today. He toured extensively around the world with Bacharach until late 2010. Shirakbari performed on '' One Amazing Night'' (1998), ''

Sessions at West 54th ''Sessions at West 54th'' is an American television program that featured music performances, and was in some ways a pop music variation on the theme set by the long-lived ''Austin City Limits'', though the featured musicians represented a number ...

'' (

Bacharach Bacharach (, also known as ''Bacharach am Rhein'') is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Rhein-Nahe, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein, although that town is not withi ...

) (2001), ''Isley meets Bacharach - Here I Am'' (

Ron Isley Ronald Isley (; born May 21, 1941) is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sally ...

) (2003), At This Time (2005), ''Live at The Sydney Opera House'' (Mixed with Allen Sides) (2008), and ''What Love Can Do'' (

) (2009).

Rumer

Shirakbari began working with recording artist (and now wife)

Rumer (musician) Sarah Joyce (born 3 June 1979), better known by her stage name, Rumer, is a Pakistan-born British singer-songwriter. Supported by leading music industry figures including Burt Bacharach, Elton John, Carly Simon, and Jools Holland, Rumer was nom ...

, as her co-writer, producer, pianist, keyboardist, and arranger in 2013. The two met briefly at a ''World Hunger Day'' gala at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in London hosted by Dionne Warwick in 2012, where Shirakbari was music director and Rumer and Warwick sang a duet of Bacharach & David's, “Hasbrook Heights.” Rumer later moved to Los Angeles in 2013, following the release of her album, ''Boy’s Don’t Cry'', where the two began working together. *2014: ''Into Colour'' (producer, musician, and arranger) Shirakbari produced Rumer's second album of all original material, ''Into Colour'', (co-written by Rumer, Rob Shirakbari, and Stephen Bishop) and her third studio album, which was released on November 10, 2014, in the UK,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The record was then released worldwide in early 2015 by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. ''Dangerous'', and ''Reach Out'' were the first singles to be released from the album, both charting on BBC Radio 2. ''Dangerous'' was BBC Radio 2 Record Of The Week (October 13–19, 2014) and reached #2 and ''Reach Out'' was BBC Radio 2 Record Of The Week (December 21–27, 2014) and reached #10 on the charts. Into Colour spent 9 weeks on the UK music charts and peaked at #12. *2015: ''B Sides and Rarities'' (producer, mixer, musician, mastering, arranger) ''B Sides and Rarities'' charted on the UK music charts at #97 *2015: ''Love Is The Answer'' EP (producer, mixer, musician, arranger) *2016: ''This Girl's in Love: A Bacharach and David Songbook'' (producer, mixer, musician, arranger) Rumer's fifth album, ''This Girl's in Love'', released under the

East West Records East West Records (stylized as east''west'') is a record label formed in 1955, distributed and owned by Warner Music Group, headquartered in London, England. History Upon its creation in 1955 by Atlantic Records, the label had one hit with th ...

label, features select tracks from the songbook of

and

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...

. It was released on November 25, 2016, and reached #28 on the UK Music Charts. It was produced by Shirakbari at RAK Studios in London and

Capitol Studios Capitol Studios are recording studios located at the landmark Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, California. The studios, which opened in 1956, were initially the primary recording studios for the American record label Capitol Records. While t ...

in Los Angeles in 2016.

Artist development

Shirakbari has spent a substantial part of his career working with and developing new, young artists. He has worked with

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at age 13 with 1996's "Blue". She has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Chris ...

Mikaila Mikaila Dominique Enriquez (born December 15, 1986), known as Mikaila, is an American singer, actress, and songwriter from Edmond, Oklahoma. She is best known for her role as Melina Finch in the PBS series ''Wishbone''. Early life Mikaila became ...

Kristy Lee Cook Kristy Lee Cook (born January 18, 1984) is an American country music singer and television personality. She was the seventh place finalist on the seventh season of ''American Idol''. In 2005, Cook released her first album called ''Devoted''. In ...

Kate & Kacey Kate & Kacey is an American country music duo consisting of identical twin sisters Kate Coppola and Kacey Coppola. In early 2008 they competed as a duo on the Country Music Television, CMT series ''Can You Duet'', where they took fourth place. In A ...

, and many others at early stages in their music careers.

Film Composing, Soundtracks, and Live Television Performances

Shirakbari,

, and

Don Was Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was, is an American musician, record producer and record executive. Primarily a bass player, Was co-founded the funk-rock band Was (Not Was). In later years he produced s ...

were the music directors and arrangers for the

72nd Academy Awards The 72nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1999 and took place on March 26, 2000, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST ...

. He wrote the arrangements and conducted the pit orchestra for the four-hour awards show and played keyboards in the on-camera band that featured Oscar-winning songs performed by

Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. Hill' ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album ''All Hail the Que ...

and

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwri ...

Writer

As a writer, Shirakbari has been a long-time contributor to

Keyboard Magazine ''Keyboard'' is a magazine that originally covered electronic keyboard instruments and keyboardists, though with the advent of computer-based recording and audio technology, they have added digital music technology to their regular coverage, inc ...

Electronic Musician ''Electronic Musician'' is a monthly magazine published by Future US featuring articles on synthesizers, music production and electronic musicians. History and profile ''Electronic Musician'' began as ''Polyphony'' magazine in 1975, publis ...

Mix Magazine ''Mix'' magazine is a periodical, billing itself as "the world's leading magazine for the professional recording and sound production technology industry". The magazine is headquartered in New York City and distributed in 94 countries. Its Korea ...

, and

Remix Magazine ''Remix'' was a monthly magazine for DJs, audio engineers, record producers, and performers of electronic and hip-hop music. It was started in 1999 as a quarterly magazine and was published monthly beginning in January 2001. The magazine focuse ...

(among others), writing feature articles and product reviews.

Teaching and mentoring

Shirakbari has taught and mentored at various industry events speaking on topics covering songwriting, arranging, and music production. He has taught master classes and workshops at Otis Redding Foundation Music Camp (

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

), Bimm Music Institute (

Dublin, Ireland Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 cen ...

), Henry Mancini Institute (

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

), and various elementary, Jr. high and high schools.

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shirakbari, Rob Living people American rock musicians 1963 births People from Dermott, Arkansas Record producers from Arkansas 21st-century American keyboardists