Brad Burg is a children's book author and songwriter (yet spends most weekdays as a mild-mannered journalist*). In March, 2002, Penguin Putnam published Outside The Lines: Poetry At Play, his collection of poems for children. It has received excellent reviews, and is among the 11 nonfiction works for children to receive a 2002 Blue Ribbon award from the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

In Hollywood, as a staff songwriter for Don Kirshner, Brad collaborated with Hall of Fame songwriter Jeff Barry (writer of "Be My Baby,” “Leader of the Pack,” and many more). Brad has co-written country hits, including a #1 song, recorded by singers like Jim Ed Brown and Lynn Anderson (one of her albums includes Brad's "He Ain't You" in its title). With Jeff Barry and Dene Hofheinz (co-author of the country hit "Even God Must Get the Blues"), Brad co-wrote a Lisa Hartman-Black album, which can be heard on the Internet. Several of his songs are on "Greatest Hits" and "Country Classic" compilations.

In New York, Brad composed off-Broadway scores, including one for a landmark production at Joe Papp's Shakespeare Festival (Fathers and Sons, a collaboration with playwright Thom Babe, starring Dixie Carter and Richard Chamberlain). He also worked at  Ellen Stewart's Cafe LaMama, where he co-created a musical satire with Eric Bentley, the world-renowned playwright and Brecht scholar. In addition, Brad was lead vocalist for the 5th longest-running show in Broadway history. This was Kenneth Tynan's legendary Oh! Calcutta! Brad was singing from the pit band, and of course studying Latin--he insists, although non sequitur--during his breaks. Brad's own shows have also been performed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston (many at Harvard).

He has received several BMI songwriter awards, including one for a #1 country-western hit, and one for "College Show of the Year," awarded to the Princeton Triangle show he co-authored. It later became the only Triangle show ever to be revived, in a full-dress production, yet, and in otherwise scenic San Francisco. "Many of the local townsfolk were terrified to learn that such a monster was again alive and kicking," Brad reminisces, fondly.

He and his wife have two children, who have always enjoyed learning his songs, and who got to play outside fairly often, too.

*Much of Brad's journalism concerns business, and much of that was done while he was a senior editor at Medical Economics magazine, located in Montvale, New Jersey. A good number of his articles are in that magazine's online database (click here, then enter "Brad Burg" in the search box, with those quote marks). Like fellow businessman-poet Wallace Stevens ("Death is the mother of life insurance trusts")*, Brad feels that his muse is not constrained--in fact, it is sometimes turned into a drill sergeant--by some acquaintance with annuities and retirement planning.  

*I'm misquoting from memory; your mileage may differ (considerably).