I just spent a good 15 minutes cyber-stalking Burt Bacharach. Sort of. I knew he was born in Kansas City but only lived here briefly until his family moved to New York. I just wanted to find out where he lived as an infant so I can leave roses by the front door under cover of night on his birthday. Or perhaps something considerably less creepy.
Using the Library’s access to Ancestry.com, I located the 1930 census entry for little Burt. He lived at 311 Brush Creek Blvd, which is one of the really nice old apartment buildings that still stand east of the Plaza, ostensibly on Cleaver II Blvd.
I’m glad that Burt didn’t stay here in KC. His music is quintessentially New York and he likely wouldn’t have grown into the genius composer he was in the 60s and 70s without the Brill Building, Hal David and Dionne Warwick. But as long as this building stands (which I wouldn’t count on) we have a little piece of him here which makes me inordinately happy.
