Curations from the Human Jungle
[Notice how similar the backgrounds of this week's songwriters are. There are almost all Jewish and from Brooklyn or one of the nearby boroughs. It must be something in the water. SB SM] The team of burt Bacharach/Hal David didn't really write rock 'n roll, but they sure knew how to create popular hits. Here's... Continue Reading →
Gerry Goffin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKpVQm41f8Y Yes, Little Eva was, in fact, Carole King's babysitter. Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", "Take Good Care of My Baby",... Continue Reading →
Jeff Barry Jeff Barry (born Joel Adelberg; April 3, 1938) is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer. Among the most successful songs that he has co-written in his career are "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Then He Kissed Me", "Be My Baby", "Chapel of Love", and "River Deep - Mountain High"... Continue Reading →
Doc Pomus Born Jerome Solon Felder in 1925 in Williamsburg,[5]Brooklyn, New York, he was the son of Jewish immigrants.[6] He attended Brooklyn College from 1943 to 1945. Felder became a fan of the blues after hearing a Big Joe Turner record, "Piney Brown Blues". Having contracted polio as a boy, he walked with the aid of crutches. Later, due to post-polio syndrome exacerbated by an accident, Felder relied... Continue Reading →
[Silverback Digest is on cruise control this week, as we look at some of the songwriting teams who created so many of the memorable tunes of our formative years. Each day we will focus on a different songwriting team whose share the connection of working in the same building. Sit back and flash back. SB... Continue Reading →
[The height of summer occurs between the Solstice and the Fourth of July. After that, it's all over. Take a moment to enjoy this year's summer light show. SB SM] Summer Lights: It’s Firefly Season! By Laurie D. Morrissey Here come real stars to fill the upper skies, / And here on earth come emulating... Continue Reading →
[Homo Sapiens, I've come to realize, are an invasive species. We've seized an ecological opportunity to devour ancient sunlight by burning fossil fuels and used it to proliferate like crazy until we've exhausted the supply. Afterwards we'll recede to either an appropriate environmental niche or, more likely, disappear entirely. Meanwhile, the octopi, horseshoe crabs, and... Continue Reading →
[Throughout my career I have championed the adoption of electric vehicles as a means of reducing consumption of fossil fuels and thus addressing one of the primary contributors to global warming. As is too often the case the quick and easy solution is not as quick and easy as we once thought. Now, that the... Continue Reading →
[I had no idea that there is a scientific specialty of "disgustology." Why wasn't this an option when I was in school? Kidding aside, the imbalance of 10 male psychopaths for every 1 female is an obvious a societal iniquity that needs to be addressed. Kidding aside ... here's to your pleasant Sunday morning read.... Continue Reading →
[Yes, you've seen this one before, but I've brought it back to send positive vibes to Silverback Peter (SoCal SBs) who goes in for hip replacement surgery tomorrow. Hey, Peter, you should go for a matched set like I have. There's a reason why this procedure has been called "The Surgery of the Century." Hip... Continue Reading →