Editorials & Other Articles

Jefferson23

(30,099 posts) Thu Oct 24, 2013, 07:28 PM Oct 2013

The Life Of Doc Pomus, Songwriter To The Stars

** A great story, listen in at the link; Save the Last Dance for Me has a meaning I was never
aware of among other songs composed by Doc.

by NPR Staff
October 24, 2013 5:09 PM

Doc Pomus, pictured here in the 1980s, was an obscure, yet prolific songwriter who died in 1991. A.K.A. Doc Pomus is a documentary about his life.

His name would spin around and around on the vinyl, the writer of a thousand songs: Doc Pomus. As the man behind smash records including 's "Viva Las Vegas," ' "Lonely Avenue" and The Drifters' "This Magic Moment," he shaped the early sound of rock 'n' roll.

Pomus died in 1991. His story — one of intriguing reinvention and determination — is told in the new documentary A.K.A. Doc Pomus, which was co-directed by Peter Miller.

Born Jerome Felder, Pomus was a Brooklyn native. At the age of 6, he was diagnosed with polio and lost the use of his legs. Facing a difficult life of disability, Pomus was inspired to lead a life of music.

"When he heard 's song on the radio, called 'Piney Brown Blues,' it just absolutely transformed him," Miller says in an interview with NPR's . "He realized that the blues is what had the greatest meaning for him, and he turned himself into a blues singer. This handicapped, white Jewish kid found himself singing in African-American blues clubs."

Felder became Doc Pomus in part to keep his new escapades a secret from his mother. In a vintage clip featured in the film, he explains that "Doc" was a nod to blues singer Doctor Clayton, while "Pomus" simply seemed to roll nicely off the tongue.

http://www.npr.org/2013/10/24/240487765/the-life-of-doc-pomus-songwriter-to-the-stars