Great Engineers: Tom Dowd (Bobby Darin, The Drifters, Ray Charles, Dusty Springfield, Dr. John, Cream, Cher, Eric Clapton and more)

To Bobby Darin fans, Tom Dowd will always be the man who put the bubbles at the beginning of Splish Splash. Dowd was a certified genius in the recording studio, an artist who's firm grasp of technique and technology made him a sought after talent in the music industry for over 50 years.

Born and raised in Manhattan, Dowd was the offspring of musical parents. His father was a concertmaster and his mother an opera singer. An exceptional student, Dowd excelled in math and science at Stuyevant High School, and graduated in June of 1942 at the tender age of 17. Too young for the draft, he went on to City College, studying during the day and playing in a band at Columbia University at night.

At Columbia he succeeded on two fronts, first by becoming a conductor, and second by being picked to do highly classified work in the university's physics laboratory. When he turned 18, he was immediately drafted and given the rank of sergeant, and was assigned to continue his secret work at Columbia—work that later would become known as part of The Manhattan Project.

Dowd's entrance into the music industry came as a result of being unable get college credit for his classified work at Columbia when he left military service in 1946. Desperate for work, he took a summer job at a classical music recording studio. And the rest, as they say, is history.

With his scientific background and sharp mind, Dowd showed himself to be a quick study in the studio, mastering the art and science of recording in no time at all. Before long, this young kid was the guy to get, if you wanted to make a great record.

His work at Atlantic included sessions with The Clovers, Ruth Brown, Big Joe Turner, Clyde McPhatter, LaVern Baker, The Drifters, Ray Charles, and of course, Bobby Darin.

He continued to work his magic in the studio right up until 2002, not just as an engineer, but also as an arranger and a producer, adding the Dowd touch to releases by artists such as Ornette Coleman, Dusty Springfield, Dr. John, Cream, Cher, Eric Clapton, and many others.

The 2003 documentary Tom Dowd and the Language of Music is a riveting portrait of the artist, his life, and career.

Tom Dowd (Selected Discography):

The Great Ray Charles (Atlantic 1259, 1957)

Bobby Darin (Atco 33-102, September 1958)

That's All (Atco 33-104, March 1959)

Darin at the Copa (Atco 33-122, August 1960)

Betty Carter: 'Round Midnight (Atco 33-152, 1963)

Nat Adderley: Sayin' Somethin' (Atlantic 1460, 1966)

Aretha Franklin: I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (Atlantic 8139, 1967)

Cher: 3614 Jackson Highway (Atco 33-298, 1969)

Eric Clapton: E.C. Was Here (RSO 4809, 1975)

Chicago: If You Leave Me Now (Columbia 25133, 1982)

Clyde McPhatter of the The Drifters sings "Think Me A Kiss" in 1960 (video)

Here's the great Clyde McPhatter of The Drifters, performing "Think Me A Kiss" on a 1960 Bobby Darin TV Special ("This Is Bobby Darin")...

Bobby Darin and Connie Francis sing Cole Porter's "You're The Top" (video)

Bobby Darin and Connie Francis singing Cole Porter's "You're The Top" on Ed Sullivan in 1960. The chemistry between these former sweethearts is positively enchanting...

Great Guitarists: Billy Mure (Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash")

Billy Mure, Guitarist on Bobby Darin's Splish Splash (1958)

As a guitarist, arranger, conductor, and composer, Billy Mure established a style of playing that was uniquely his own. His debut album in 1957, "Supersonic Guitars in Hi-Fi" on the RCA label, utilized multi-tracking techniques to layer 4 guitars, 2 sets of drums, and 1 bass player. He followed this up with the aptly titled "Fireworks" in 1958, adding a third drummer and a vocal chorus. The LP was his first in "Living Stereo," and featured 4 original numbers, "Firecrackers," "Dancing Guitars," "Guitar Theme," and "Crackerjack." That same year, Mure provided the guitar backing for Bobby Darin's first hit single, Splish Splash.

Born July 7th, 1915, in New York City, Mure picked up the violin at the age of 5, moved on to guitar at 7, and by 13 he was composing his own music. After leaving high school, he joined Val Ernie's band and spent the next five years playing ritzy resorts and clubs. When World War II came along, Mure enlisted and became a member of the Air Force band, where he learned arranging. After the war, in 1947, he joined the staff orchestra at radio station WNEW in New York. While employed by WNEW, he did a bit of session work on the side, for such luminaries as Helen Merrill and Della Reese. He also wrote arrangements for Reese (My Heart Reminds Me) and Bobby Freeman (Do You Want to Dance? and Betty Lou's Got a New Pair of Shoes.)

After recording for the RCA label from 1957 to 1963, he set out on his own, to form the independent production company, BM Productions. He also scored a hit on the Seville label in 1962, as leader of the band for the Marcie Blaine single Bobby's Girl.

Mure continues to play live to this day, still delighting audiences everywhere with his Supersonic Guitar style.

Billy Mure (Selected Discography):

Helen Merrill: Merrill at Midnight (EmArcy 36107, 1957)

Billy Mure: Supersonic Guitars in Hi-Fi (RCA Victor LPM-1536, 1957)

Bobby Darin: Bobby Darin (Atco 33-102, September 1958)

Billy Mure: Fireworks (RCA Victor LSP-1694, 1958)

Billy Mure: Teen Bossa Nova (MGM SE-4131, 1963)

Billy Mure Links:

Billy Mure's Official Site

Great Songwriters: Deek Watson of The Ink Spots

As a founding member of the Ink Spots, Deek Watson was instrumental in establishing the sound of one of greatest vocal harmony groups of all time. Formed in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1932, by Watson, Charles Fuqua, Orville "Hoppy" Jones, and Jerry Daniels, the group performed first as the Riff Brothers, then as the Percolating Puppies, before settling on the Ink Spots name.

The Ink Spots had their first million-selling single with If I Didn't Care in 1939, and this was followed by a seemingly endless string of smooth, mellow hits, including I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire, My Prayer, I'll Never Smile Again, A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening, Java Jive, Into Each Life Some Rain May Fall, We Three, Don't Get Around Much Anymore, and Prisoner of Love.

Watson's impressive list of songwriting credits includes (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons (recorded by Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, and scores of others), Just in Case You Change Your Mind (recorded by Bobby Darin and Bull Moose Jackson), and Ink Spots tunes such as What Can I Do? and Shout, Brother, Shout.

Download Ink Spots Music

Get Ink Spots CDs

Duane Eddy performs "Shazam" on a 1960 Bobby Darin Special

Here's the amazing Duane Eddy, performing "Shazam" on the 1960 British Bobby Darin TV Special, "This is Bobby Darin":

Bobby Darin and Clyde McPhatter sing "Have Mercy Baby"

From a 1960 British Bobby Darin TV Special, here's Darin and Clyde McPhatter jammin' on "Have Mercy Baby"...

Legendary Songwriter Doc Pomus

It would not be an exaggeration to call Doc Pomus a mythic figure in the history of American popular music. Physically and creatively he was a powerful presence. With his full beard and robust figure, he looked like some great prophet who had just come down from the mountain to preach the gospel of rhythm n' blues. And preach he did, through his pen. Pomus is the author or co-author of an almost unbelievable number of classics, including Little Sister, Boogie Woogie Country Girl, Can't Get Used to Losing You, Devil in Disguise, Do the Freddie, Save the Last Dance for Me, Here Comes the Night, This Magic Moment, Teenager in Love, and a host of others.

All told, Pomus has written over 1500 songs, for a dazzling array of stars: Bobby Darin, Elvis Presley, Paul Anka, LaVern Baker, Ray Charles, Martha & The Vandellas, The Coasters, Big Joe Turner, The Righteous Brothers, Gene Pitney, Patti Paige, Clyde McPhatter, Dean Martin, Connie Francis, Neil Diamond, and literally hundreds more. (The Pomus & Shuman Story: Double Trouble 1956-1967 is an excellent collection of Doc Pomus numbers sung by various legendary artists.)

Pomus has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, and the New York Music Hall of Fame. He has received numerous awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, and a Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award. His song Save the Last Dance for Me (co-written with frequent partner Mort Shuman) was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame as a "recording of lasting, qualitative and historical significance." He has scored over 100 domestic and foreign Top Ten Hits, and his songs have charted in every decade from the 1950s to the present.

Born Jerome Solon Felder on June 27th, 1925 in Brooklyn, New York, Pomus was crippled by polio as a child, but he did not let this get in the way of his dreams of being a blues singer. Big Joe Turner was his early inspiration, and Pomus would later write Boogie Woogie Country Girl for the legendary rhythm and blues performer.

At 18, Pomus was singing and playing sax in Greenwich Village clubs. By his early 30s, he decided to pursue a new path toward musical success, as a songwriter. This was, to say the least, a momentous decision. Almost from the moment he took pen in hand, Pomus began to crank out hit after hit. Taking a young songwriter named Mort Shuman under his wing, Pomus became half of one of the most prolific and lauded teams of the Brill Building era.

As the '60s came to a close, the enigmatic Pomus took a ten-year hiatus from the business, and became a professional gambler, running a weekly poker game out of his West 72nd street apartment. This stage of his life came to an end, so the story goes, when two masked gunmen crashed the game one night, to take their cut.

Pomus returned to songwriting in the late '70s, collaborating with New Orleans singer/pianist Dr. John, and Willie DeVille of the band Mink DeVille. Dance the Night Away, from the 1978 Dr. John LP City Lights, is a prime example of the Pomus touch, mixing humor and romance to create a catchy, down n' dirty blues number. Just to Walk That Little Girl Home from the 1980 Mink DeVille LP Le Chat Bleu is a love ballad harkening back to the tender beauty of Save the Last Dance for Me.

Today, the great Pomus compositions live on, in new versions by contemporary artists, and in their original recordings, playing forever in our hearts, in our souls, and on our radios.