Bob Telson is an American composer, singer/songwriter, and pianist best known for his work in musical theater and film, for which he has received Tony, Pulitzer, and Academy Award nominations.
Among his best known works are the score for "Bagdad Café" and the musical “The Gospel at Colonus”, starring Morgan Freeman and The Five Blind Boys of Alabama (go to the "videos" page to see the PBS Great Performances video)
His songs have been recorded by Barbra Streisand, Natalie Cole, Jeff Buckley, George Benson, Joe Cocker, Celine Dion, Etta James, k.d. lang, Shawn Colvin, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, George Michael, and The Five Blind Boys of Alabama.
in 2023, working with Graciela Corso, Telson has composed 8 songs for a new musical theater Spanish language work called "Bantú." Go to the VIDEO page to see and hear the concert version, performed 10/22/23. To hear recordings of this work-in-progress: https://soundcloud.com/bob-telson/sets/bantu-herencia-ancestral To see the video: https://youtu.be/XOpVR3SkejI