Bobby Bloom
born in 1946
died on 28/2/1974 in Hollywood, CA, United States
Bobby Bloom
Bobby Bloom |
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Robert "Bobby" Bloom (1945[1] – February 28, 1974[2]) was an American[1] singer-songwriter. He is known best for being a one-hit wonder with the 1970 song, "Montego Bay", which was co-written with and produced by Jeff Barry.
Biography
In the early 1960s, Bloom had been a member of the doo-wop group, The Imaginations, and sang lead on "Wait A Little Longer, Son." Bloom received a big break in 1969 when he was awarded a contract to write and record a jingle for Pepsi, paving the way for his later success with "Montego Bay." Bloom also played a role as a songwriter connected to the Kama Sutra/Buddah group of labels.[3] He also co-wrote the song "Mony Mony" and with Jeff Barry he co-wrote "Sunshine" by The Archies, their fifth hit single in 1970.
Bloom worked as a sound engineer for musicians such as Louis Jordan and Shuggie Otis.[3] Bloom often recorded demos of his songs at the recording studio of MAP City Records, owned by friends Peter Anders and Vincent Poncia Jr., with chief engineer Peter H. Rosen[4] at the controls. Early solo projects included "Love Don't Let Me Down" and "Count on Me."[3]
The recordings that followed his success with "Montego Bay" in 1970, "Heavy Makes You Happy", which became a hit for the Staple Singers in 1971, "Where Are We Going" and The Bobby Bloom Album all used the same combination of pop, calypso, and rock.[3]
Bloom suffered from depression towards the end of his life.[3] Bloom died on February 28, 1974, at the age of 28. He apparently shot himself while cleaning his gun.[5] Jeff Barry was surprised to find out afterwards that he was the sole beneficiary of Bloom's life insurance policy.[6]
Discography
Albums
- The Bobby Bloom Album (L&R Records, 1970), reached #126 in the U.S. Billboard 200 chart,[7] and contained the following tracks:
- "Careful Not to Break the Spell"
- "Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom)"
- "Try a Little Harder"
- "Oh, I Wish You Knew"
- "Fanta"
- "Heidi"
- "This Thing I've Gotten Into"
- "A Little on the Heavy Side"
- "Brighten Your Flame"
- "Give 'Em a Hand"
- "Montego Bay"
- Where Are We Going (Buddah, 1971)
- "Where Are We Going"
- "Cracks In The Sidewalk"
- "It's Love That Really Counts"
- "Count On Me"
- "Was I Dreamin'"
- "Baby, Baby,"
- "Valerie"
- "Love Don't Let Me Down"
- "Where Is The Woman"
- "Pirates And Western Villians"
- "Jill"
- "The Game Can Be So Rough"
Singles
- "Montego Bay" (1970) U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #8, UK #3
- "Heavy Makes You Happy" (1970) - UK #31
- "Where Are We Going" (1971) - U.S. #84
[1] [8]
See also
- List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
References
- 1.0 1.1 1.2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums, 19th, London: Guinness World Records Limited.
- Thedeadrockstars.com - accessed July 2009
- 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 [Bobby Bloom at All Music Guide Biography by Stacia Proefrock]. Allmusic.com. Retrieved on 1 July 2009.
- Peter H. Rosen Creativity.net
- Jeremy Simmonds (2008). The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches, Chicago Review Press. URL accessed 30 January 2011.
- Bubblegum-music.com
- [Bobby Bloom at All Music Guide Allmusic ((( Bobby Bloom > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))].
- [Bobby Bloom at All Music Guide Allmusic ((( Bobby Bloom > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))].
This article uses material from the article Bobby Bloom from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.