Randy Newman's Real Name: Randall Stuart Newman

Quick answer: He is known as Randy Newman. Encyclopaedia Britannica and AllMusic both list Randall Stuart Newman as his full name, and the Library of Congress cites the Encyclopedia of Popular Music for the same form. Britannica gives his birth date as November 28, 1943, in Los Angeles, California. Randy is the familiar short form of Randall.

Real name and early life

Britannica says he was born in Los Angeles but taken to New Orleans as an infant, and returned to Los Angeles as a young boy. His family was steeped in film music: his uncle Emil Newman was a conductor, and his uncles Lionel and Alfred Newman composed movie scores. AllMusic adds that he was working as a professional songwriter for a California publishing house by age 17.

Both sources say he studied music at the University of California, Los Angeles. AllMusic says he left before finishing his degree when his friend Lenny Waronker got him a record contract with Reprise Records. One Library of Congress record gives a 1944 New Orleans birth, which conflicts with the other sources; Britannica gives 1943 in Los Angeles.

Career highlights

AllMusic says his self-titled 1968 debut drew little notice, but other artists recorded his songs. Three Dog Night took "Mama Told Me Not to Come" to number one in 1970, and Harry Nilsson recorded a whole album of his songs, Nilsson Sings Newman.

His own albums won critical praise, notably Sail Away (1972) and Good Old Boys (1974). Britannica says the irony in his biggest hits, "Short People" from Little Criminals (1977) and "I Love L.A." from Trouble in Paradise (1983), was lost on many listeners. AllMusic says the "Short People" uproar helped push the single to number two.

From the early 1980s he built a second career in film, scoring Ragtime (1981) and The Natural (1984). Britannica says his work with Pixar began with Toy Story (1995) and continued through A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Cars, Toy Story 3, Cars 3, and Toy Story 4. After 16 nominations, he won his first Oscar in 2002 for "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters, Inc. A second Oscar followed for "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3. His Marriage Story score and a Toy Story 4 song brought his 21st and 22nd nominations in 2020.

Britannica says his album Dark Matter (2017) won a Grammy for the arrangement on "Putin," and that he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.

Name notes for searchers

Randy Newman is the only name he has used professionally. Searches for Randall Newman or Randall Stuart Newman refer to the same composer. He should not be confused with his uncles Alfred, Lionel, or Emil Newman.