Randy Newman’s ingenious lyricism earned him devoted fans but not mainstream success. His turn to Hollywood would bring wider recognition.

In 1974, Randy Newman opened his album “Good Old Boys” with “Rednecks,” a song about American racism so honest and shocking — not least because Newman brandishes the N-word in the voice ...

Randy Newman, Music’s Most Biting Storyteller, Gets His Own Story Told: Ex-L.A. Times Critic Robert Hilburn on Penning the Singer-Composer’s Biography By Chris Willman ...