Friday, September 17, 2010

"The voice of Bart"

The voice of Bart Simpson-Nancy Cartwright
 
In the San Francisco Bay Area, if you were to ask someone who does the voice of Bart, he or she might ask you for clarification. Here, B.A.R.T. stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit. And as you wait on the platform for the train to come, you'll hear several voices announcing departure and arrival times. They're actually synthesized voices called, "George and Gracie." The history behind them is kind of fascinating. Read about them and hear a sample of their voices here.

Another suitable answer would be Nancy Cartwright. She's the voice of Bart Simpson. When the series first became a hit, many were surprised that Bart's voice was being done by a woman.

Years ago, Nancy took a big chance, packed up her beat up car in Dayton, Ohio, and headed to California. She was lucky enough to study under the legendary Daws Butler, a master of animation voices. He originated the voices of many famous cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss and Huckleberry Hound. What an education she got from Mr. Butler. Not to mention landing  the gig of a lifetime. Her book, "My Life as a Ten Year Old Boy" is a fun and informative read.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for bringing the book to our attention, John. I didn't realize Nancy had one out. I'll have to check it out.

    I still remember many years ago, just as the Simpsons were gaining popularity, that a friend of mine who is a Christian singer, had some voiceovers in a part of one of his songs... and Nancy was one of them... sounded like Bart Simpson on this Christian CD. :)

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  2. Most welcome Dave! Very interesting about the Christian CD.

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  3. I did not know that - interesting!

    Now when I hear George and Gracie, I'll know the backstory. Thx, John!

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  4. I just recently discovered that the BART voices actually have names Dave.

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