10 Great Jewish Singer-Songwriters
"The song is the center; the song is the key. If you don't have a good song you don't have anything by my value"
- Carole King
"We were very poor but I never knew it. I was given a secure upbringing and I always felt loved and wanted. Grandma and Grandpa taught me Jewish traditions and raised me to be polite, caring and sensitive, a gentleman"
- Barry Manilow
"It's pointless to be critical of your stuff once it's done. I don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. It's of no importance once it's finished."
- Paul Simon
Neil (Leslie) Diamond
(b. 1941, New York, USA)
Started writing songs as a teenager and found fame in his twenties penning hits for himself and other singers. His first number one record as a performer came in 1972 with 'Cracklin' Rosie', and this was followed by another number one, 'Song Sung Blue'. He went on to record many successful albums and has won Grammy and Golden Globe awards. In 1980 he not only starred in the remake of The Jazz Singer but also composed the film's million-selling soundtrack album. He has continued to tour internationally. Neil Diamond Homepage
Neil Diamond - Love On The Rocks
Books:
Neil Diamond, Neil Diamond (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2005)
Laura Jackson, Neil Diamond: His Life, His Music, His Passion (ECW Press, 2005)
Diana Karanikas Harvey, Jackson Harvey, Neil Diamond (MetroBooks, 1996)
Carole King (Carole Klein)
(b. 1942, New York, USA)
One of a group of prolific songwriters and songwriting teams (Greenfield and Sedaka, Mann and Weil, Bacharach and David, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel and others) whose headquarters were in the legendary Brill Building in Manhattan during the rock and roll era. She wrote many songs with Gerry Goffin (her first husband) and had a hit in 1962 singing her own song, 'It Might As Well Rain Until September'. 1971 brought a turning point in her career as a singer-songwriter with her best-selling album 'Tapestry'. She has been inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. More on Carole King
Carole King - Up On The Roof
Books:
Carole King, The Carole King Deluxe Anthology (Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation, 1986)
Sheila Weller, Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon - And the Journey of a Generation (Atria, 2008)
Randy Newman (Randall Stuart Newman)
(b. 1943, Los Angeles, California, USA)
Talented singer-songwriter, pianist and film music composer. He started writing songs as a teenager, producing a number of popular hits for other singers during the 1960s. In 1968 he released his debut album, 'Randy Newman', containing many of his signature sad love songs, and further albums followed in the 1970s. Covers of his songs were recorded by the Everly Brothers, Dusty Springfield, Peggy Lee, Harry Nilsson, Ray Charles and others. In the 1980s his interest turned to film music and he has since received several Oscar nominations for his work, including the 2002 award for Best Original Song, 'If I Didn't Have You', from Monsters, Inc. He is the nephew of Hollywood composers Alfred Newman (see Film Music Composers), Lionel Newman and Emil Newman.
Books:
Randy Newman, Randy Newman Anthology (Alfred Publishing Company, 1999)
Randy Newman, Randy Newman Anthology, Vol. 2 (Music for Film, Television and Theater) (Alfred Publishing, 2005)
Kevin Courrier, Randy Newman: American Dreams (ECW Press, 2005)
Neil Sedaka
(b. 1939, New York, NY, USA)
Julliard School piano scholar and Brill Building stalwart who teamed up with lyricist Howard Greenfield to write many memorable pop songs in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In the 1970s he emerged as one of the most popular international performers and has continued to tour extensively. He has written over a thousand songs in a 50-year career and in 1983 was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2003 he released his album 'Brighton Beach Memories - Neil Sedaka Sings Yiddish'.
Books:
Neil Sedaka, Laughter in the Rain: My Own Story (Putnam Publishing Group, 1982)
Neil Sedaka, Neil Sedaka's Greatest Hits (Hal Leonard Corporation, 1985)
Mel Tormé (Melvin Howard Tormé)
(b. 1925, Chicago, Illinois, USA; d. 1999, Beverly Hills, California)
Jazz singer, songwriter, drummer, actor and writer. Musical from a young age, he soon developed a reputation as a jazz vocalist, composer and arranger and his smooth singing style led his publicist to name him 'The Velvet Fog'. He wrote over 250 songs, among them several jazz standards and the Christmas classic 'The Christmas Song' (with lyricist Bob Wells), recorded by Nat King Cole in 1946. He was also active in films and television, and performed concerts worldwide. In 1999 he was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Books:
Mel Torme, It Wasn't All Velvet: An Autobiography (Zebra, 1990)
Mel Torme, The other side of the rainbow: With Judy Garland on the dawn patrol (Galahad Books, 1974)
Mel Torme, Legendary Performers: The Mel Torme Songbook (Alfred Publishing Company, 1999)
Mel Torme, Wynner (Stein & Day Publishers, 1979)
Mel Torme, Traps - The Drum Wonder: The Life of Buddy Rich (Rebeats Press, 1997)
Billy Joel (William Martin Joel)
(b. 1949, New York, NY, USA)
Singer, songwriter and musician who is one of America's best selling recording artists. After leaving high school he joined a rock and roll band called the Hassles, but their recordings had little commercial impact. In 1971 he went solo and eventually won recognition after signing with Columbia records two years later and releasing 'Piano Man', his first million-selling album. Successful chart singles and albums followed, earning him numerous Grammy Award nominations and six wins. He turned his attention to composing classical pieces but still gives concerts performing his pop songs.
More on Billy Joel
Billy Joel - Uptown Girl
Books:
Mark Bego, Billy Joel: The Biography (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2007)
Hank Bordowitz, Billy Joel: The Life and Times of an Angry Young Man (Billboard Books, 2006)
Billy Joel, Best of Billy Joel (Hal Leonard Corporation, 1994)
Barry Manilow (Barry Alan Pincus)
(b. 1943, New York, USA)
Although learning the accordian as a child, he discovered his love of music through the piano. After high school he enrolled at the New York College of Music and The Juilliard School and later worked variously as a pianist, producer, arranger and jingle writer-singer. Following his first hit single 'Mandy' he became one of the most successful pop performers of the 1970s and 1980s, embarking on world tours and breaking box office records in several countries. He has also ventured into musicals and film scoring.
Barry Manilow Official Site
Barry Manilow - Mandy
Books:
Barry Manilow, Ultimate Manilow (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2002)
Barry Manilow, The Barry Manilow Anthology (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2002)
Patricia Butler, Barry Manilow: The Biography (Omnibus Press, 2002)
Barry Manilow and Maureen Lasher, Sweet Life: Adventures On The Way To Paradise (McGraw - Hill, 1987)
Bob Dylan (Robert Allen Zimmerman)
(b. 1941, Duluth, Minnesota, USA)
Iconic folk-singer, songwriter and poet whose lyrics introduced social and political awareness to the pop culture of the 1960s. Some of his famous protest songs, such as 'Blowin' in the Wind' and 'The Times They are a Changin', were taken up by the civil rights and anti-war movements of the time. His later songs explored more personal themes and embraced a style closer to traditional Country and Western. He has released many critically acclaimed albums and has been a major presence in popular music over the last four decades.
More on Bob Dylan
Hurricane - Bob Dylan
Books:
Bob Dylan, Chronicles: Volume One (Simon & Schuster, 2005)
Bob Dylan, The Definitive Bob Dylan Songbook (Amsco Publications, 2001)
Howard Sounes, Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan (Grove Press, 2002)
Michael Gray, The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia: Revised and Updated Edition (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008)
Peter Vernezze and Carl Porter, Bob Dylan and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy) (Open Court, 2005)
John Nogowski, Bob Dylan: A Descriptive, Critical Discography and Filmography, 1961-2007 (McFarland & Company, 2008)
Robert Shelton, No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan (Da Capo Press, 1997)
John Hinchey, Like a Complete Unknown: The Poetry of Bob Dylan's Songs, 1961-1969 (Stealing Home Press, 2002)
Paul (Frederic) Simon
(b. 1941, Newark, New Jersey, USA)
Esteemed singer, songwriter and guitarist who recorded highly successful pop albums both as a solo artist and in a folk-rock duo with Art Garfunkle. He achieved his first hit with Garfunkle in 1965 with 'The Sound of Silence' and the partnership culminated in 1970 with the album 'Bridge Over Troubled Water '. His contribution to the soundtrack of the film The Graduate (1967) produced the hit song 'Mrs Robinson'. Resuming a solo career in 1971, he released the albums 'Paul Simon' in 1972 and 'Graceland' in 1976. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 2001 and in 2007 was the first recipient of the annual Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
More on Paul Simon
Paul Simon & Miriam Makeba
Books:
Paul Simon, Paul Simon Complete: Music From 1957-1993 (Music Sales Group, 1998)
Paul Simon, Acoustic Masters For Guitar: Paul Simon (Paul Simon, 2004)
Stacey Luftig, Paul Simon Companion (Simon and Shuster McMillan, 1997)
Laura Jackson, Paul Simon: The Definitive Biography (Citadel, 2004)
Chris Charlesworth, The Complete Guide to the Music of Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel (Omnibus Press, 1997)
Leonard Cohen
(b. 1934, Montreal, Canada)
Influential songwriter of the late 1960s and 1970s and one of the poets of popular song. Already an established writer of poetry and fiction, he made his reputation as a songwiter with his first album, 'Songs of Leonard Cohen' (1967). He attracted a devoted following with his dark lyrics and distinctive vocal delivery. In 2007 he marked his 40th anniversary as a recording artist and in 2008 will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Leonard Cohen Files
Leonard Cohen - Closing Time
Books:
Leonard Cohen, Book of Longing (Ecco, 2007)
Leonard Cohen, Let Us Compare Mythologies (Ecco, 2007)
Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen Anthology (Hal Leonard Cororation, 2001)
Leonard Cohen, Stephen Scobie (Ed.), Intricate Preparations: Writing Leonard Cohen (ECW Press, 2000)
Marc Hendrickx, Yesterday's Tomorrow: Leonard Cohen (Brandl & Schlesinger Book Publishers , 2008)
Ira B. Nadel, Various Positions: A Life of Leonard Cohen (University of Texas Press, 2007)
This page was last modified on 18 April 2008