Jeri Keever "Bunny" Hull (born October 9, 1951) is an American songwriter, musician, and author. Her catalog includes music, film and television projects. She is a recipient of 20 Gold and Platinum Certifications, a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

and two nominations, an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

nomination, a

GMA Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...

, a BMI Performance Award, and multiple Parents' Choice Awards. In 2021, Hull was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Early life

Hull studied piano, dance, and trained as a pianist from the age of 7 with Muriel Adler and Hal Stesch. She trained as a dancer with Christina Carson of Sadler Wells Ballet and began writing music at age 15 in Las Vegas. Hull performed in Las Vegas stage shows with

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side New York accent, accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced son ...

Sergio Franchi Sergio Franchi ( , ; born Sergio Franci Galli; April 6, 1926 – May 1, 1990) was an Italian-American tenor and actor who enjoyed success in the United States and internationally after gaining notice in Britain in the early 1960s. In 1962, RCA ...

, and Dick Jensen. Her first professional recordings as a vocalist were on Mason's 1979 ''Groovin’ You'' album, and a duet written and sung with violinist, orchestra leader, multi-instrumentalist and singer, Charles Veal Jr. Hull's work as a songwriter and backing vocalist gained momentum during this period, including tours to Japan with

Christopher Cross Christopher Cross (born Christopher Charles Geppert; May 3, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He won five Grammy Awards for his eponymous debut album released in 1979. The singles "Sailing" (1979), and " Arthur's Theme (Best ...

and the East Coast with

Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was a bandmate of Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller in the Ardells in the early 1960s and a member of the Steve Miller Band from 1967 to 196 ...

Music career

Hull has worked with a broad range of top-tier recording artists in different genres, including

Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American jazz and soul singer. She is known for her soulful ballads, particularly from the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career in the late 1970s with the funk ban ...

, Angela Bofill,

Peabo Bryson Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson ( ; born April 13, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads (often as a duet with female singers) including the hit singles " Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", "You're Looking Like ...

George Duke George Martin Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as ...

, Michael Franks,

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1943) is an American singer and actress. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit in 1977 with her recording of " Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Grammy for ...

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Idol achieved fame in the 1970s on the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of Generation X ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist-guitarist Wynonna Judd and her mother Naomi Judd on backup vocals. The duo signed to RCA Records in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds wer ...

Wynonna Judd Wynonna Ellen Judd, known simply as Wynonna ( ; born Christina Claire Ciminella; May 30, 1964), is an American country music singer. She is one of the most widely recognized and awarded female country musicians in history. She has had 19 No. 1 s ...

, KC & the Sunshine Band,

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

, Bob Welch,

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

, and

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, model, producer and dancer. She gained recognition as the first Black woman to win the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She would later Vanes ...

. The song ''Breakdance'' was co-written by Hull with

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...

and

Irene Cara Irene Cara Escalera (March 18, 1959 – November 25, 2022) was an American singer and actress who rose to prominence for her role as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 musical film '' Fame'', and for recording the film's title song " Fame", which reach ...

in 1983 for Cara's '' What a Feelin''' album. It was released as a single and reached No. 8 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

pop chart, No. 13 on the US dance chart, and No. 23 on the US R&B chart in 1984. Hull co-wrote the Patti Labelle song '' New Attitude'' with Sharon Robinson and Jon Gilutin in 1984. The song was included on the soundtrack for the 1984

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

film

Beverly Hills Cop ''Beverly Hills Cop'' is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, with a screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., and story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr. It stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Det ...

. It won a Grammy Award for Best Album Of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture Or Television Special at the 28th Annual Grammy Awards. A cover version of the song, produced by Peter Bunetta and Rick Chudakoff, was released as a single by

in December 1984 and nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1986. In 1992, the song, ''Ready for a Miracle,'' was composed by Hull and Art Reynolds, was originally recorded by

and Edwin Hawkins for the ''

Leap of Faith In philosophy, a leap of faith is the act of belief, believing in or accepting something not on the basis of reason. The phrase is commonly associated with Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Idiomatic usage As an idiom, ''leap of faith'' ca ...

'' film soundtrack and recorded by

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at the age of 13 and has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Christian, and o ...

for the 2007 ''

Evan Almighty ''Evan Almighty'' is a 2007 American fantasy comedy film that is a spin-off and sequel of '' Bruce Almighty'' (2003). The film was directed by Tom Shadyac, written by Steve Oedekerk, based on the characters created by Steve Koren and Mark ...

'' film soundtrack. Rimes' version of the song won a

at the 39th Annual Dove Awards for Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year in 2008. In 1995, Hull composed and arranged music with

Brenda Russell Brenda Russell (née Gordon; born April 8, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and keyboardist. Russell has a diverse musical range which encompasses Rhythm and blues, R&B, pop music, pop, soul music, soul, dance music, dance, and ...

for the song '' Let Somebody Know'' on

' '' Take Me Higher'' album. She also contributed keyboard programming, keyboards, vocal arrangement, and backing vocals.

Additional music credits

Partial list: * Backing vocals on

's 1982 '' Thriller'' album and his 1995 '' HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'' album * Backing vocals on

's 1986 ''

Rapture The Rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Chr ...

'' album * Backing vocals on Karyn White's 1988 self-titled debut album * Backing vocals on

's 1989 single ''

If You Asked Me To "If You Asked Me To" is a song written by American songwriter Diane Warren and produced by Stewart Levine and Aaron Zigman. It was originally recorded by American singer Patti LaBelle for her ninth studio album, ''Be Yourself (Patti LaBelle albu ...

'' from her '' Be Yourself'' studio album * Backing vocals on Michael Franks' 1990 '' Blue Pacific'' album * Backing vocals on

's 1990 '' Charmed Life'' album * Primary Artist, producer, engineer, arranger, Mixing, Vocals, Programming, composer, Lyricist on the 2007 Dream A World album, ''Young Masters Little Wisdom: Secrets Of The Heart''

Solo projects

''Truth and Tenderness,'' an album of 10 original songs by Hull, was released on vinyl LP through the Sampony record label in South Korea on November 12, 1991. It includes backing vocals by

. The album was released on CD through the

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...

record label (aka P.C.H, or Pacific Coast Highway) the same year.

Children's books and CD's

Hull is the founder of the publishing imprint Young Masters Little Wisdom in 2009. Its Dream A World website include hardbound books, Kids Creative Classics activity kits illustrated by Synthia Saint James, and ''Young Masters Little Wisdom'' books illustrated by Kye Fleming. The series is designed for students from 3 to 6 years of age and is a foundation for curriculum development currently used in public schools, private schools, and Montessori Schools. ''Young Masters Little Wisdom: Secrets Of The Heart'' is part of the series and is a recipient of the 2008 Parents’ Choice Recommended Award.

Film and television

Hull's film credits include: * Staying Alive (1983 film) * Co-writer of the song '' New Attitude'' from

(1984 film) *

Licence to Kill ''Licence to Kill'' is a 1989 spy film, the sixteenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the second and final film to star Timothy Dalton as the MI6 agent James Bond (literary character), J ...

(1989 film) *

City Slickers ''City Slickers'' is a 1991 American Western comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby and Jack Palance, with supporting roles by Patricia Wettig, Helen Slater and Noble Willingham, and ...

(1991 film) *

Thelma & Louise ''Thelma & Louise'' is a 1991 American crime drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri. The film stars Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis as Louise and Thelma, two friends who embark on a road trip that ends up in unforese ...

(1991 film) * Co-writer with Art Reynolds for the song ''Ready for a Miracle'' on the

soundtrack (1992 film) *

The Prince of Egypt ''The Prince of Egypt'' is a 1998 American animated musical drama film directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Wells, and written by Philip LaZebnik, from a story by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook. Produced by DreamWorks Pictur ...

(1998 animated film) *

Bruce Almighty ''Bruce Almighty'' is a 2003 American fantasy comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe and Steve Oedekerk. The film stars Jim Carrey as Bruce Nolan, a down-on-his-luck television reporter who complains to Go ...

(2003 film) * Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005 film) * Co-writer of the song ''Ready for a Miracle '' from '' Evan Almighty: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture'' (2007 film) Her television credits include work for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

, ABC,

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

, cable networks and programs such as

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...

The Nanny ''The Nanny'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish wikt:fashionista, fashionista from Flushing, Queens, who becomes the nanny of three children ...

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...

Charmed ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadc ...

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

, and

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

Documentary Film: The Ripple Effect

Hull directed a documentary short film about Dream A World Education's mission in 2017, entitled ''The Ripple Effect,'' the film was co-produced with Cinema Verde Productions, Inc. in 2018. It won a Global Impact Film Festival award for Best Sound Design that year and was nominated for an Emmy Award in the Independent Programming category of the 71st Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards in July 2019.

Awards and nominations

* Grammy Award: Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special. Song: '' New Attitude''. Bunny Hull, songwriter. Film:

– 1984 * Grammy Nomination: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance '' New Attitude – 1986 * GMA Dove Award: Traditional Recorded Gospel Song of the Year. Song: ''Ready For A Miracle'' – 2007 * Emmy Nomination: Independent Programming category in the 71st Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards. Film: ''The Ripple Effect'' – 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hull, Bunny 1951 births Living people American women composers Grammy Award winners Musicians from New Orleans Pony Canyon artists 21st-century American women Singer-songwriters from Louisiana