Brothers in Arms
Blue Moon, Cape Town, South Africa. Photo from reuters.com:
RIP songwriter Bob Feldman, 83. His name may not be familiar, but his work is, especially to baby boomers. Born in Brooklyn to an Orthodox family, he was a graduate of Abraham Lincoln H.S., where he was a classmate of Neil Sedaka. Both were members of the All-City Choir, along with Barbra Streisand. He was a dancer on Alan Freed’s WNEW-TV show The Big Beat, and in 1959 he and neighbor and fellow hoofer Jerry Goldstein wrote a theme song for the show. In 1962 they met songwriter Richard Gottehrer. The three formed The Strangeloves, and had several hits, most notably I Want Candy, which climbed to #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. They wrote the Angels’ My Boyfriend’s Back, which spent three weeks at #1 in 1963. Also that year, the three wrote Gonna Make It Alone, recorded by both Dion and Ronnie Dio and the Prophets, well before Dio became a heavy metal icon. It did not chart for either. Sorrow was the B side to the McCoys Fever in 1965, but was a big hit in the UK that year for the Merseys and for David Bowie in ’73. The three also produced the McCoys’ Hang On Sloopy, which rose to #26 in ’64. In 2002 Feldman co-wrote Dusty Drake’s (Dean Buffalini — LOL) debut single And Then, which climbed to #57 on the country chart. There are 105 credits under his name at IMDb in the category of Soundtrack. He was a dad of three, two daughters and actor Corey Feldman. Well done, Sir. Thank you. Photo from Google Images:
RIP guitarist Jack Sonni, 68. Born in Pennsylvania, he was on the fringes of the music business, playing in a band at Kenny’s Castaways in NYC, working in a music store, when he met Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. He was asked to join the band for the 1985 recording of the Brothers in Arms album and tour. He also played at Live Aid. The album spent nine weeks at #1 on the BillBoard 200, did even better in the UK, and sold 30 million copies worldwide. Released as a single, Money for Nothing hit #1 on the U.S. chart and won a Grammy. Walk of Life hit #7. After that triumph, Feldman returned to the fringes, then ceased playing professionally when his twin daughters were born in 1988. He went into business, then into the literary world, serving as writer-in-residence at a venue on Martha’s Vineyard until 2017. He also returned to music, playing gigs with his original band, The Leisure Class. Photo from GI:
Headline from foxnews.com: “‘Don’t put your ultimate hope in politics or politicians,’ urges faith leader as campaign season heats up.” Amen.
Just about everyone was happy with the cooler temperature and stiff breeze. For the first time since spring I was standing in the sun rather than the shade at today’s session of the floating book shop. My thanks to the woman who bought a Hebrew-Russian Bible and a Russian-English Dictionary, and to the woman who purchased The Lady Elizabeth, historical fiction by Alison Weir; and to young Gareth, who took home Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story by Wilfred M. McClay; and to the two ladies who selected a bunch of kids’ books between them. I am blessed.
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