[2] He has been nominated for the 1987 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (Writer, "Living in America" by James Brown), two Golden Globes, and has been a producer and/or writer on several Grammy-winning albums, including The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album, Joni Mitchell's Turbulent Indigo, and Marlo Thomas & Friends: Thanks & Giving All Year Long.
Midnight was born in Brooklyn, New York to Louis Leo Kaufman (1916–1993), a factory worker and World War II veteran, and Bella Hanft (1918–2012).
[1] His first musical foray was in London, England with a band before he returned a few months later to the United States.
Midnight worked various jobs to support his music career, such as being employed as a legal proofreader and paralegal.
[4][6][7] Shortly after his first and last solo album (which he deemed a commercial failure based on its reception),[3] Midnight came to the attention of famed singer-songwriter, musician and producer Dan Hartman.
[3][10] He went on to produce and write songs for more than 30 films including Rocky IV,[11] The Bodyguard,[11] Bull Durham, Lizzie McGuire and Ruthless People, as well as for such varied artists as Cher, Billy Joel, Joni Mitchell, Seal, Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, James Brown, Chaka Khan, Joe Cocker, The Doobie Brothers, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Jamey Johnson, George Thorogood, John Waite, Hilary Duff, Dan Hartman, Sheena Easton, Paul Stanley and Paul Young.
[18] In 2012, Midnight co-wrote two specialty lyrics for Barbra Streisand for her Back To Brooklyn tour on "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from Sunset Boulevard and "You're the Top" from Anything Goes.
Collaborating with Idina Menzel and Walter Afanasieff, Midnight wrote "December Prayer," for Menzel's "Holiday Wishes": Number One Billboard Holiday Album He co-wrote the song "Big Time Rush", which served as the theme song for the hit Nickelodeon series of the same name.
These include such notable international artists as Lin Yu-chun (Taiwan), Tata Young (Thailand), Chage and Aska (Japan), Peter Maffay and Yvonne Catterfeld (Germany), Gölä (Switzerland) Saint Lu (Austria) Time Bandits (Netherlands), El Último de la Fila (Spain), Rhydian (UK), Dodo and the Dodos (Denmark), Sahlene and Don Patrol (Sweden), Rodsogarden (Finland), Rouge (Brazil).