| Rob Shirakbari | |
| Birth Name: | John Robert Shirakbari |
| Alias: | Rob Shrock |
| Birth Place: | Dermott, Arkansas, U.S.Spouse - Stephanie sidley Rumer 2015 - present |
| Occupation: | Producer, musician, songwriter, orchestrator, arranger |
| Instrument: | Piano, keyboards, guitar, bass |
| Genre: | Rock, pop, and soul |
| Years Active: | 1979–present |
| Associated Acts: | Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, Rumer |
Rob (Shrock) Shirakbari is an American musician, composer, record producer, and arranger, best known for being long-time music director for Dionne Warwick (1985–present) and Burt Bacharach (1996 - 2010) [1] and as producer, co-writer, and music director for Rumer (2013–present).[2]
Shirakbari has worked with Aretha Franklin, Adele, Sheryl Crow, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Elvis Costello, Wynonna Judd, Duffy, Ronald Isley, Peabo Bryson, Chris Botti, and Whitney Houston among other successful recording artists. He served on the NARAS Board of Governors for the Texas Chapter from 1998 to 2000.
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. In high school, he played keyboards and guitar in several bands and developed his songwriting and recording skills.
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 (1993), Dionne Sings Dionne (1998), The Best of Dionne Warwick (2001), This Christmas (2014), and She’s Back (2019).[3]
Shirakbari began working closely with Burt Bacharach 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 (Bacharach/Elvis Costello) (2001), Isley meets Bacharach - Here I Am (Ron Isley/Burt Bacharach) (2003), At This Time (2005), Live at The Sydney Opera House (Mixed with Allen Sides) (2008), and What Love Can Do (Burt Bacharach/Peabo Bryson) (2009).
Shirakbari began working with recording artist (and now wife) Rumer (musician), 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 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.
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, and Japan. The record was then released worldwide in early 2015 by Atlantic Records. Dangerous,[4] and Reach Out [5] 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.[6] Into Colour spent 9 weeks on the UK music charts and peaked at #12.[7]
B Sides and Rarities charted on the UK music charts at #97 [8]
Rumer's fifth album, This Girl's in Love, released under the East West Records label, features select tracks from the songbook of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was released on November 25, 2016, and reached #28 [9] on the UK Music Charts. It was produced by Shirakbari at RAK Studios in London and Capitol Studios in Los Angeles in 2016.[10] [11]
Shirakbari has spent a substantial part of his career working with and developing new, young artists. He has worked with LeAnn Rimes, Mikaila, Kristy Lee Cook, Kate & Kacey, and many others at early stages in their music careers.
Shirakbari, Burt Bacharach, and Don Was were the music directors and arrangers for the 72nd Academy Awards. 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, Ray Charles, Garth Brooks, Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick and Isaac Hayes.[12] [13]
| Year | Production | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | American Experience (PBS) (Soundtrack) | The Harvest | Composer, Arranger, Music mixer |
| 2012 | Switchmas (Soundtrack) | I Just Can't Do Without Christmas | Producer, Arranger, Mixer, Piano, Bass, Keyboards, Programming |
| 2000 | Soundstage (TV Series Documentary) | Ronald Isley and Burt Bacharach | Musician |
| 2001 | (Soundtrack) | What The World Needs Now Is Love | Co-producer, Keyboards |
| 2001 | Looney Tunes (Soundtrack) | Christmas With Frosty the Snowman & Friends | Orchestrator, Keyboards, Synthesizer, Programming, Rhythm, Engineer |
| 2000 | Sessions at West 54th (Televised Live Performance) | Elvis Costello/Burt Bacharach | Arranger, Keyboards |
| 2000 | 102 Dalmatians (Soundtrack) | Original Soundtrack | Keyboards, Drum and Synthesizer Programming |
| 2000 | Looney Tunes (Soundtrack) | Kwazy Christmas | Orchestrator, Keyboards, Synthesizer, Programming, Rhythm, Engineer |
| 1999 | The Murder in China Basin (Soundtrack) | Original Soundtrack | Producer, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger |
| 1998 | Burt Bacharach (TV Special) | One Amazing Night | Arranger, Musician |
| 1992 | The Johnny Carson Show (Televised Live Performance) | Dionne Warwick | Musician, Arranger |
As a writer, Shirakbari has been a long-time contributor to Keyboard Magazine, Electronic Musician, Mix Magazine, and Remix Magazine (among others), writing feature articles and product reviews.[14] [15]
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), Bimm Music Institute (Dublin, Ireland), Henry Mancini Institute (Los Angeles, California), and various elementary, Jr. high and high schools.[16]
| Title | Artist | Credits | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville Tears (Album) | Rumer | String Arranger, Conductor, Engineer | 2020 | |
| New Year's Eve in New Orleans: Roll Up '78 and Light Up '79! (Album) | The Marshall Tucker Band | Mixer (as Rob Shrock) | 2020 | |
| She's Back (Album) | Dionne Warwick | Producer, Piano, Keyboards, Percussion, Horns (as Rob Shrock) | 2019 | |
| Dionne Warwick & The Voices of Christmas (Album) | Dionne Warwick | Musical Direction, String Arranger, Conductor | 2019 | |
| This Girl's In Love: A Bacharach and David Songbook (Album) | Rumer | Producer, Mixer, Arranger, Conductor, Engineer, Piano, Bass, Rhodes, Nylon Guitar, Vibes, Synth | 2016 | |
| You and I (Album) | Alani | Producer, Composer, Piano, Bass, Mixer | 2016 | |
| Love Is The Answer (EP) [17] " | Rumer | Producer, Arranger and Conductor | 2015 | |
| B-Sides & Rarities (Album) | Rumer | Producer, Mastering, Mixer, Arranger, Conductor, Songwriter, Piano, Bass, Synth, Acoustic Guitar | 2015 | |
| Into Colour (Album) [18] | Rumer | Producer, Arranger, Conductor, Songwriter, Piano, Bass, Wurlitzer, Organ, Rhodes, Acoustic Guitar, Vibes, Glockenspiel, Synth, Programming, Mixing | 2015 | |
| This Christmas (Single) | Dionne Warwick | Producer, Arranger, Mixing, Piano, Bass, Keyboards, Programing | 2014 | |
| BBC Radio 2's Sounds of the 80s ("Arthur's Theme") (Single) | Rumer | Producer, Arranger, Conductor, Mixing, Piano, Wurlitzer, Organ, Synth | 2014 | |
| Movie Moods: Love Stories (Album) [19] | Michael Omartian | Vocal Engineer | 2014 | |
| Lose A Girl (Album) [20] | Nicky Corbett | Piano, Strings | 2013 | |
| Switchmas (Movie Soundtrack) | Annie Bany | Producer, Arranger, Mixer, Songwriter, Piano, Bass, Guitars, Kazoo | 2012 | |
| Is Love a Fairy Tale? (Album) [21] | Aoede | Piano, String Arrangements, String Conductor, Synthesizer, Wurlitzer [22] | 2012 | |
| Frail Hope Ranch (Album) | The Stripminers (featuring Brett Anderson of the Donnas) | String Arranger and Conductor | 2012 | |
| Skeletons of the Muse (Album) | Aoede | Piano, Wurli, Synths, String Arrangements and Conducting | 2012 | |
| Heart Strings (Album) [23] | Mary Segato | Fender Rhodes, Guitar (Acoustic), Melodica, Organ, Piano, Synthesizer, Wurlitzer | 2012 | |
| Never Let The Little Man Down (Album) [24] | Scrote | Piano | 2012 | |
| Affair with the Muse (Album) [25] | Aoede | Keyboards, Piano, String Arrangements, String Conductor | 2011 | |
| Barefoot & Young (Album) [26] | Annie Bany | Producer, Songwriter, Mixer, Arranger, Bass, Guitars, Keyboards, Melodica, Mandolin, String Arrangements | 2011 | |
| Karima | Karima | Piano | 2010 | |
| What Love Can Do | Burt Bacharach and Peabo Bryson | Arranger, Keyboards | 2009 | |
| Live at the Sydney Opera House [27] | Burt Bacharach | Arranger, Keyboards, Main Personnel, Mixing | 2008 | |
| Pure Imagination | John Pagano | String Arrangement, Keyboards | 2008 | |
| New Music From An Old Friend | Phil Ramone/Peabo Bryson | String Arrangements, Keyboards | 2007 | |
| The Look of Love: Burt Bacharach Songbook (Album) [28] | Traincha (Trijntje Oosterhuis) | Piano | 2007 | |
| Transvalue Book III: The '58 Retractable Hardtop [29] | Transvalue | Mastering | 2007 | |
| Who'll Speak for Love [30] | Traincha (Trijntje Oosterhuis) | Programming | 2007 | |
| MusicTraks III (Album) | Penny Framstad | Producing, Mixing, Piano, Guitar, Bass, Co-writing | 2006 | |
| At This Time (Album) [31] | Burt Bacharach | Synthesizer | 2005 | |
| At the Casbah [32] | Shani | Composer, Piano | 2005 | |
| Spotlight on Music: Grade 2 Disc 13 [33] | Various Artists | Arranger | 2005 | |
| Spotlight on Music: Grade 2 Disc 17 | Various Artists | Arranger | 2005 | |
| Wet Dog Man [34] | Paul Chesne | Conductor, String Arrangements | 2005 | |
| What The World Needs Now Is Love (Burt Bacharach) | Assistant Music Director, Keyboards, Mixing, Producer, Vocal Arrangement | 2003 | ||
| (Album) | Finalists | Keyboards | 2003 | |
| Here I Am: Isley Meets Bacharach [35] | Burt Bacharach / Ronald Isley | Keyboards | 2003 | |
| So Damn Happy [36] | Aretha Franklin | Keyboards, Synthesizer Arrangements | 2003 | |
| Graham Colton | Graham Colton | String Arrangements, Keyboards | 2000 | |
| Christmas with Frosty the Snowman & Friends [37] | Looney Tunes | Bass, Drums, Keyboards, Programming, Rhythm, Synthesizer | 2001 | |
| The Best of Dionne Warwick (Paradiso) [38] | Dionne Warwick | Arranger, Engineer, Keyboards, Organ, Producer, Programming, String Arrangements | 2001 | |
| The Best of Sessions at West 54th, Vol. 1 [39] | Burt Bacharach / Elvis Costello | Keyboards | 2001 | |
| The Murder at China Basin (Album) | Original Soundtrack | Producer, Composer, Lyricist, Arranger | 2000 | |
| 102 Dalmatians (Album) | Original Soundtrack | Keyboards, Drum and Synth Programming | 2000 | |
| Looney Tunes Kwazy Christmas [40] | Looney Tunes | Bass, Drums, Engineer, Keyboards, Orchestration, Programming, Synthesizer | 2000 | |
| Painted From Memory | Elvis Costello | Keyboards, Accordion | 1998 | |
| Dionne Sings Dionne [41] | Dionne Warwick | Arranger, Engineer, Keyboards, Organ, Percussion, Producer | 1998 | |
| One Amazing Night[42] | Burt Bacharach | Keyboards, Arranger | 1998 | |
| Friends Can Be Lovers (Album) [43] | Dionne Warwick | Producer, Arranger, Keyboards, Drums, Guitar | 1993 | |
| Cure Me with the Groove | Citizen Swing (Album) | Producer, Engineer [44] | 1992 |