Itaal Shur

American composer, producer and musician

Itaal Shur

Shur, December 2009

Background information
Born| Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres| Acid jazz, avant-garde jazz, funk, techno, hip hop
Occupation(s)| Composer, record producer, musician
Instrument(s)| Keyboards, vocals
Years active| Early 1990s–present
Website| itaalshur.com

Musical artist

Itaal Shur (born October 22, 1966) is an American composer,[1] producer and musician. He has written songs for a number of musicians, including Maxwell, Jewel and Enrique Iglesias, and has produced records for various artists, including Kronos Quartet, The Scumfrog and Lucy Woodward. He was the founding member of the acid jazz group Groove Collective, and has released three solo albums.

One of Shur's most notable works is the song "Smooth", which he co-wrote with Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas for Santana's Grammy Award winning album Supernatural.[2][3] "Smooth" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999,[4] and won Shur and Thomas the 1999 Grammy Award for Song of the Year.[5]

## Early life and education

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Shur was born in Los Angeles, California on October 22, 1966 but was raised in Seattle, Washington and Cincinnati, Ohio.[2] His parents are the late Bonia Shur, who was a composer of Israeli and Jewish music and director of Liturgic Arts at the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati who had emigrated to the United States from Russia via Israel,[6][7] and Fanchon Wechsler Shur, born in Chicago, Illinois, a former dancer and choreographer.[8] Shur attended middle school at The School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) in Cincinnati. He graduated from Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, and studied jazz and composition for a year at the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. In the early 1990s he joined a local art rock band called Sleep Theatre with Rob Hamrick and Chris Sherman (later known as Freekbass).[8]

## Career

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Shur moved to New York City in 1992 where, in between doing odd jobs, he played in a Moroccan band and performed at the Knitting Factory, an avant-garde jazz venue.[6] Then he switched to acid jazz and co-founded the acid jazz group Groove Collective, featuring on their first two albums. Shur also began composing songs, and his first hit was "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)", which he co-wrote with Maxwell for Maxwell's 1996 debut album, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite.[2]

In the late 1990s, Shur explored funk, techno and hip-hop, and released two solo albums under an alias Big Muff, which he took from the name of an old Electro-Harmonix guitar distortion pedal, Big Muff.[2] "My Funny Valentine" from his first album, Music From the Aural Exciter was a minor hit in the United Kingdom in 1998. The song that launched Shur's career was "Smooth",[8] which he co-wrote with Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas for Santana's album Supernatural.[2] When he heard that Santana needed a song for their new album, Shur composed a song over a weekend.[8] Thomas, who sang the lead vocals with Santana, rewrote Shur's melody and lyrics for the retitled song, "Smooth".[6] Carlos Santana's "samba-like guitar riff" on "Smooth" was "note-for-note" as Shur had written it.[8] "Smooth" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999,[4] and won Shur and Thomas the 1999 Grammy Award for Song of the Year.[5] Supernatural also won a Grammy Award in 1999 for Album of the Year.[3]

Shur released another solo album, Milk & Honey – 10 Hits To Bliss in 2001, this time under his real name. He also produced a number of albums for various artists, including Kronos Quartet, Hinda Hicks, Mark Farina, Lighthouse Family, The Scumfrog and Lucy Woodward.[9] Shur has since established his own artist development and production company.[2]

## Solo discography

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* Music From the Aural Exciter (1998, Snapt Records) – released under the alias Big Muff
* Aurally Exciting Remixes (2000, Razor & Tie) – released under the alias Big Muff
* Milk & Honey – 10 Hits to Bliss (2001, Wave Music)

## References

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1. ^ Margot Whitmire (October 30, 2004). "Expansion Team". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 44–. ISSN 0006-2510.
2. ^ a b c d e f Prato, Greg. "Itaal Shur". AllMusic. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
3. ^ a b "Grammy Award Winners: Searchable database". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2011. (search parameters: Title = Supernatural)
4. ^ a b "Supernatural awards". AllMusic. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
5. ^ a b "Grammy Award Winners: Searchable database". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2011. (search parameters: Artist = Itaal Shur)
6. ^ a b c Kimpel, Dan (March 31, 2000). "Itaal Shur". Broadcast Music Incorporated. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
7. ^ "Itaal Shur on Songs, Business and Life in General". MusicianCoaching.com. September 30, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
8. ^ a b c d e Bird, Rick. "Grammy catapults Itaal Shur's career". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
9. ^ "Itaal Shur credits". AllMusic. Retrieved January 11, 2011.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Itaal Shur.

* Official website
* Itaal Shur discography at Discogs
* Big Muff discography at Discogs
* Itaal Shur at IMDb

* v
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Grammy Award for Song of the Year

1950s|

* "Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare)" – Domenico Modugno (songwriter) (1958)
* "The Battle of New Orleans" – Jimmy Driftwood (songwriter) (1959)

1960s|

* "Theme of Exodus" – Ernest Gold (songwriter) (1960)
* "Moon River" – Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini (songwriters) (1961)
* "What Kind of Fool Am I?" – Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley (songwriters) (1962)
* "Days of Wine and Roses" – Johnny Mercer & Henry Mancini (songwriters) (1963)
* "Hello, Dolly!" – Jerry Herman (songwriter) (1964)
* "The Shadow of Your Smile" – Paul Francis Webster & Johnny Mandel (songwriters) (1965)
* "Michelle" – John Lennon & Paul McCartney (songwriters) (1966)
* "Up, Up, and Away" – Jimmy Webb (songwriter) (1967)
* "Little Green Apples" – Bobby Russell (songwriter) (1968)
* "Games People Play" – Joe South (songwriter) (1969)

1970s|

* "Bridge over Troubled Water" – Paul Simon (songwriter) (1970)
* "You've Got a Friend" – Carole King (songwriter) (1971)
* "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Ewan MacColl (songwriter) (1972)
* "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Norman Gimbel & Charles Fox (songwriters) (1973)
* "The Way We Were" – Alan and Marilyn Bergman & Marvin Hamlisch (songwriters) (1974)
* "Send In the Clowns" – Stephen Sondheim (songwriter) (1975)
* "I Write the Songs" – Bruce Johnston (songwriter) (1976)
* "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" – Barbra Streisand & Paul Williams (songwriters) / "You Light Up My Life" – Joe Brooks (songwriter) (1977)
* "Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (songwriter) (1978)
* "What a Fool Believes" – Kenny Loggins & Michael McDonald (songwriters) (1979)

1980s|

* "Sailing" – Christopher Cross (songwriter) (1980)
* "Bette Davis Eyes" – Donna Weiss & Jackie DeShannon (songwriters) (1981)
* "Always on My Mind" – Johnny Christopher, Mark James & Wayne Carson (songwriters) (1982)
* "Every Breath You Take" – Sting (songwriter) (1983)
* "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Graham Lyle & Terry Britten (songwriters) (1984)
* "We Are the World" – Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) (1985)
* "That's What Friends Are For" – Burt Bacharach & Carole Bayer Sager (songwriters) (1986)
* "Somewhere Out There" – James Horner, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (songwriters) (1987)
* "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (songwriter) (1988)
* "Wind Beneath My Wings" – Larry Henley & Jeff Silbar (songwriters) (1989)

1990s|

* "From a Distance" – Julie Gold (songwriter) (1990)
* "Unforgettable" – Irving Gordon (songwriter) (1991)
* "Tears in Heaven" – Eric Clapton & Will Jennings (songwriters) (1992)
* "A Whole New World" – Alan Menken & Tim Rice (songwriters) (1993)
* "Streets of Philadelphia" – Bruce Springsteen (songwriter) (1994)
* "Kiss from a Rose" – Seal (songwriter) (1995)
* "Change the World" – Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick & Tommy Sims (songwriters) (1996)
* "Sunny Came Home" – Shawn Colvin & John Leventhal (songwriters) (1997)
* "My Heart Will Go On" – James Horner & Will Jennings (songwriters) (1998)
* "Smooth" – Itaal Shur & Rob Thomas (songwriters) (1999)

2000s|

* "Beautiful Day" – Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen & Paul Hewson (songwriters) (2000)
* "Fallin'" – Alicia Keys (songwriter) (2001)
* "Don't Know Why" – Jesse Harris (songwriter) (2002)
* "Dance with My Father" – Richard Marx & Luther Vandross (songwriters) (2003)
* "Daughters" – John Mayer (songwriter) (2004)
* "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" – Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen & Paul Hewson (songwriters) (2005)
* "Not Ready to Make Nice" – Emily Burns Erwin, Martha Maguire, Natalie Maines Pasdar & Dan Wilson (songwriters) (2006)
* "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (songwriter) (2007)
* "Viva la Vida" – Guy Berryman, Jonathan Buckland, William Champion & Christopher Martin (songwriters) (2008)
* "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart (songwriters) (2009)

2010s|

* "Need You Now" – Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott (songwriters) (2010)
* "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth (songwriters) (2011)
* "We Are Young" – Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess (songwriters) (2012)
* "Royals" – Joel Little & Ella Yelich O'Connor (songwriters) (2013)
* "Stay with Me" (Darkchild version) – James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith (songwriters) (2014)
* "Thinking Out Loud" – Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge (songwriters) (2015)
* "Hello" – Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin (songwriters) (2016)
* "That's What I Like" – Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip (songwriters) (2017)
* "This Is America" – Donald Glover, Ludwig Göransson & Jeffery Lamar Williams (songwriters) (2018)
* "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell (songwriters) (2019)

2020s|

* "I Can't Breathe" – Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas (songwriters) (2020)
* "Leave the Door Open" – Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars (songwriters) (2021)
* "Just Like That" – Bonnie Raitt (songwriter) (2022)
* "What Was I Made For?" – Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell (songwriters) (2023)
* "Not Like Us" – Kendrick Lamar (songwriter) (2024)

Authority control databases

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