Biography
John DeNicola is an American songwriter and producer. Born on 4 October 1955 in Amityville, New York, he began his career as a bass player in bands including Flight, which released an album on Motown Records in 1980. He later moved into songwriting and production, and has been a resident of Greenwich Village for many years.
DeNicola is best known for his work on the soundtrack of the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. He co-wrote the songs "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" and "Hungry Eyes" with Franke Previte and Donald Markowitz. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award in 1988, and received a Grammy nomination; both tracks achieved significant chart success.
He has written songs for artists including Eddie Money, John Waite and Bernie Worrell. DeNicola founded the independent label Omad Records, through which he produced early work by Kara's Flowers (later Maroon 5). He released his debut solo album, The Why Because, in 2019.
