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Lonely Avenue: The Unlikely Life and Times of Doc Pomus
One of the most original, influential, and commercially successful American songwriters, Jerome Felder, aka Doc Pomus (1925-1991), gave the world a dazzling legacy of musical hits during rock ’n’ roll’s first decade. A role model for generations of writers and performers, Doc was renowned for his mastery of virtually every popular style, from the gutbucket rhythm and blues of “Lonely Avenue” to the symphonic soul of “Save the Last Dance for Me” to the pure pop of “Viva Las Vegas.” His songs-“This Magic Moment,” “A Teenager in Love,” “Hushabye,” “Little Sister,” “Turn Me Loose,” and many others-have been recorded by everyone from Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, and B. B. King to Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, and Bruce Springsteen, with sales exceeding $100 million. Doc was ready-made for literature. His collaborator Mort Shuman once described him as an “entire rollicking soul neighborhood rolled into one man.” Garrulous, profane, hilarious, and Rabelaisian, Doc was never inhibited about offering his opinions and his friendship. His confidants, collaborators, and discoveries included Duke Ellington, John Lennon, Dr. John, Jimmy Scott, Bette Midler, and Lou Reed. In the words of renowned producer Jerry Wexler, “If the music industry had a heart, it would be Doc Pomus.” Despite, or more likely because of, his successes, few acquaintances knew that this writer of jukebox hits led one of the most dramatic and unlikely lives of his time. Spanning extravagant wealth and desperate poverty, suburban domesticity and the depths of New York’s underworld, worldwide fame and near-total obscurity, enduring love and persistent loneliness, Doc’s story remains one of the great untold American lives. Its chapters comprise a back-room history of rock ’n’ roll, touching on more than a half-century of American popular music-from the blues Doc performed with Lester Young to his collaborations with the luminaries of New York’s punk scene, shot through with vivid portraits of virtually every major player. Lonely Avenue is the first biography of this American original, so elegantly rendered that it reads like a novel, and fortified by full, exclusive access to Doc Pomus’s family, friends, voluminous journals, and archives.
- GenresMusicBiographyNonfiction
264 pages, Hardcover
First published February 6, 2007
10 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Alex Halberstadt
5 books45 followersAlex Halberstadt is the author the forthcoming family memoir Young Heroes of the Soviet Union as well as Lonely Avenue: the Unlikely Life and Times of Doc Pomus. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, Saveur, Travel + Leisure, MoMA Magazine and The Paris Review. Nominated twice for the James Beard Award, his essays have been anthologized in Best Food Writing 2014 and The Best American Food Writing 2018. Halberstadt is a recipient of fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo, and lives and works in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
November 26, 2025
I had a 'Magic Moment' one night when my sister pointed out Doc Pomus to me at a club in NYC. I was shocked and saddened to learn that the man who wrote 'Save The Last Dance For Me' had polio and spent most of his life in a wheelchair. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-XQ2... It was posted recently on Facebook. Memories of seeing him at The Lone Star came flooding back and I wanted to know more.
Raised in Brooklyn, Doc started performing after high school at age 15. When he went to college during the day, he sang blues in a local club at night. Then he performed in Greenwich Village, had some success writing and realized that he could have a career in music. He started making records at age 19. He partnered with Mort Shuman who wrote melodies and Doc wrote lyrics. When Ahmet Ertegun co-founded Atlantic Records, Doc became a songwriter for them. He married and had two children. As the royalties rolled in, he and his wife made a nice home on Long Island where they could raise their kids in a good area and enjoy entertaining friends on the weekend. But, as success blossomed, Mort began to travel and spent more and more time in Europe, so, Doc eventually collaborated with others.
The commute became more and more difficult so Doc rented a hotel room near the Brill Building. The book gives an inside look at inexpensive hotels where entertainers live while working in the city. The hotel where Doc stayed offered big discounts for full time residents. He moved a number of times and at one point worked in LA while his kids were in school in New York City. His wife was an aspiring actress from the midwest and she eventually had some success on the stage. Doc spent more and more time in the city. He often sat in lobbies and enjoyed 'holding court'. He moved to 72nd street to a small two room apartment, no longer near the Brill Building where many hit records were created. In the sixties the British Invasion happened and Bob Dylan basically shut the Brill Building down.
As the song writing waned Doc started gambling to make money. It disturbed him and eventually he had some success with music again and was happy when the card games ended.
Doc was friends with Lou Reed since he introduced him to the music business. After his death in March 1991, Reed honored Doc in his recording: Magic and Loss.
The Drifters, Ray Charles, Dion, Elvis Presley, The Coasters, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Ben E. King, B.B. King, Bobby Darren, Fabian, The Hollies, Dolly Parton, Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, Irma Thomas, Ruth Brown, Dr. John, Bruce Springsteen, ZZ Top, Brian Wilson, Joe Cocker, The Beatles, Leonard Cohen, Joe Turner, Janis Joplin, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan performed his songs.
Collaborator Mike Stoller called Doc the "archangel of rhythm and blues." He co-wrote with Dr. John on a portable lap piano right up to his last days in the hospital. Doc was beyond legend. He was real and loved by many.
Raised in Brooklyn, Doc started performing after high school at age 15. When he went to college during the day, he sang blues in a local club at night. Then he performed in Greenwich Village, had some success writing and realized that he could have a career in music. He started making records at age 19. He partnered with Mort Shuman who wrote melodies and Doc wrote lyrics. When Ahmet Ertegun co-founded Atlantic Records, Doc became a songwriter for them. He married and had two children. As the royalties rolled in, he and his wife made a nice home on Long Island where they could raise their kids in a good area and enjoy entertaining friends on the weekend. But, as success blossomed, Mort began to travel and spent more and more time in Europe, so, Doc eventually collaborated with others.
The commute became more and more difficult so Doc rented a hotel room near the Brill Building. The book gives an inside look at inexpensive hotels where entertainers live while working in the city. The hotel where Doc stayed offered big discounts for full time residents. He moved a number of times and at one point worked in LA while his kids were in school in New York City. His wife was an aspiring actress from the midwest and she eventually had some success on the stage. Doc spent more and more time in the city. He often sat in lobbies and enjoyed 'holding court'. He moved to 72nd street to a small two room apartment, no longer near the Brill Building where many hit records were created. In the sixties the British Invasion happened and Bob Dylan basically shut the Brill Building down.
As the song writing waned Doc started gambling to make money. It disturbed him and eventually he had some success with music again and was happy when the card games ended.
Doc was friends with Lou Reed since he introduced him to the music business. After his death in March 1991, Reed honored Doc in his recording: Magic and Loss.
The Drifters, Ray Charles, Dion, Elvis Presley, The Coasters, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Ben E. King, B.B. King, Bobby Darren, Fabian, The Hollies, Dolly Parton, Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, Irma Thomas, Ruth Brown, Dr. John, Bruce Springsteen, ZZ Top, Brian Wilson, Joe Cocker, The Beatles, Leonard Cohen, Joe Turner, Janis Joplin, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan performed his songs.
Collaborator Mike Stoller called Doc the "archangel of rhythm and blues." He co-wrote with Dr. John on a portable lap piano right up to his last days in the hospital. Doc was beyond legend. He was real and loved by many.
February 18, 2009
Only in America, only in New York, only in the mid-twentieth century. There is no possibility whatsoever of there being another Doc Pomus.
December 11, 2024
I knew next to nothing about Doc Pomus going in to this read. I knew the name. And I knew he was a songwriter. That's about it. Well this book was a revelation. Yes, Pomus was a songwriter...easily one of the most important of the early rock & roll era. He was also an early white singer of blues music who was not just accepted, but embraced in the blues clubs of New York and New Jersey in the late 40s and early 50s. He was a polio survivor who was confined to leg braces, crutches and ultimately a wheelchair. During bad period for his writing he made ends meet as a poker player, including playing against a teenage Stu Unger (this would have been when Unger was already one of the best gin rummy players in the U.S.). He was a cornerstone of the Brill Building sound that dominated airplay between the time Elvis went in to the army and the British Invasion. He wrote songs for the likes of Ray Charles (Lonely Avenue), Big Joe Turner, Elvis (Little Sister, Viva Las Vegas, etc.), Fabian, Ben E. King, and...for the Drifters...som of the greatest music of that era, including "This Magic Moment" and, his magum opus, "Save the Last Dance For Me."
Beyond that, he lived a damn interesting life, intersecting with an amazing cross-section of the greats, near-greats and never was's of New York music, literature, theater and damn near everything else in the 50s through the 70s. He was important in getting Bette Midler out of tiny venues and allowing to to make herself a star. John Lennon, who he befriended, told him that the first song the Beatles practiced was a Pomus composition. He spent his last days writing songs with Dr. John. Lou Reed wanted to write with him at the end of his life and he was approached by Bob Dylan when Dylan was facing writers block. For all that, Pomus really loved and cared about the blues and jazz performers who were his first influences. He donated his time to produce one of Big Joe Turner's later albums. He was instrumental in getting Little Jimmy Scott back on record. He was a long-time member of the board of directors of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, working to get royalties and assistance to R&B and blues artists who were frequently destitute.
This really is a wonderful biography of a man who was hit by life at almost every turn (some of it self imposed) and always persevered. Not only that, he worked to make sure that those who had helped and/or inspired him got a bit of what they deserved.
Make sure you have your favorite music service available while you read this...because you want to have that soundtrack to go with it.
Beyond that, he lived a damn interesting life, intersecting with an amazing cross-section of the greats, near-greats and never was's of New York music, literature, theater and damn near everything else in the 50s through the 70s. He was important in getting Bette Midler out of tiny venues and allowing to to make herself a star. John Lennon, who he befriended, told him that the first song the Beatles practiced was a Pomus composition. He spent his last days writing songs with Dr. John. Lou Reed wanted to write with him at the end of his life and he was approached by Bob Dylan when Dylan was facing writers block. For all that, Pomus really loved and cared about the blues and jazz performers who were his first influences. He donated his time to produce one of Big Joe Turner's later albums. He was instrumental in getting Little Jimmy Scott back on record. He was a long-time member of the board of directors of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, working to get royalties and assistance to R&B and blues artists who were frequently destitute.
This really is a wonderful biography of a man who was hit by life at almost every turn (some of it self imposed) and always persevered. Not only that, he worked to make sure that those who had helped and/or inspired him got a bit of what they deserved.
Make sure you have your favorite music service available while you read this...because you want to have that soundtrack to go with it.
September 1, 2025
Jerome Felder was a disabled Jewish kid from Brooklyn who reinvented himself as a rhythm and blues belter named Doc Pomus and immersed himself in the Black music world, living in seedy hotels and befriending the likes of Lester Young, Duke Ellington and his favorite, Joe Turner. He evolved into a songwriter in the Brill Building sphere, composing disposable smashes for teen idols as well as great songs for legends like Ray Charles and Elvis Presley, songs like “Lonely Avenue” and “Save the Last Dance for Me“ that would resonate through decades of cover versions. Meanwhile, with crutches limiting his movement, he started presiding over hotel lobby salons featuring New York’s wildest and weirdest characters as well as the innocent and curious. The tales of his friendships, his loves and his marriage are sweet and yet, of course, bitter, since his disability put him at an unavoidable disadvantage. He crystallized this by writing “Save the Last Dance for Me” (won't spoil it).
Music bios often lose steam as they shift from the exciting early years to the boring high life, but not this one. Doc’s high life was so fleeting, and everything that came after his crash — wheelchairs, new love, a gambling career, hotel oddities, Bette Midler, Dr. John, John Lennon, Lou Reed — is so full of human emotion and unexpected turns that I couldn’t help but stay fascinated. Doc worked fiercely to mentor the young and advocate for old R&B treasures like Joe Turner and Little Jimmy Scott. Doc understood that the music business was the people business, and people loved him for it.
I sipped at this book for months while I read others, but I also could see it being satisfying to drink in one big gulp. Not only is Doc’s life fascinating every step of the way, but the biographer’s craft is exceptional, blending tons of interviews and research into a smooth and sometimes poetic narration that delves deep into the characters’ thoughts and feelings in a way that feels genuine. At least I hope it’s genuine. It’s always possible that someone feels misrepresented in a biography, but at the end of this one, the reader comes to understand how wonderfully frank Doc was in his journals and his interactions with everyone around him, which prompted them to be real as they talked about their lives with him. He’s a biographer’s dream in that sense, although it took a good biographer to appreciate the subtleties. Doc seems to have seen it as his calling to lead a virtuous circle of honesty, and that is maybe the greatest of many inspirations this book contains.
Now we need an audio version that includes all the songs. I was constantly pausing to look up tunes online, but hey, that’s part of the fun of music books.
Music bios often lose steam as they shift from the exciting early years to the boring high life, but not this one. Doc’s high life was so fleeting, and everything that came after his crash — wheelchairs, new love, a gambling career, hotel oddities, Bette Midler, Dr. John, John Lennon, Lou Reed — is so full of human emotion and unexpected turns that I couldn’t help but stay fascinated. Doc worked fiercely to mentor the young and advocate for old R&B treasures like Joe Turner and Little Jimmy Scott. Doc understood that the music business was the people business, and people loved him for it.
I sipped at this book for months while I read others, but I also could see it being satisfying to drink in one big gulp. Not only is Doc’s life fascinating every step of the way, but the biographer’s craft is exceptional, blending tons of interviews and research into a smooth and sometimes poetic narration that delves deep into the characters’ thoughts and feelings in a way that feels genuine. At least I hope it’s genuine. It’s always possible that someone feels misrepresented in a biography, but at the end of this one, the reader comes to understand how wonderfully frank Doc was in his journals and his interactions with everyone around him, which prompted them to be real as they talked about their lives with him. He’s a biographer’s dream in that sense, although it took a good biographer to appreciate the subtleties. Doc seems to have seen it as his calling to lead a virtuous circle of honesty, and that is maybe the greatest of many inspirations this book contains.
Now we need an audio version that includes all the songs. I was constantly pausing to look up tunes online, but hey, that’s part of the fun of music books.
March 9, 2019
Doc Pomus wrote Save The Last Dance For Me and many other memorable tunes. He rubbed shoulders with John Lennon, Bob Dylan and many others. It’s amazing as he was handicapped by polio and a Jewish singer who got his start with black bands.
May 12, 2014
Quite often popular music biographies fail to give a sense of the real person, but this was written with real empathy for it's subject. Doc's writing career spanned a good many years and I'd forgotten just how many well known songs he'd penned. Particularly poignant was learning the back-story to "Save The Last Dance For Me" (won't spoil it - read it!). May I recommend as a companion piece "Under A Hoodoo Moon" by his good friend, and sometime writing partner, Dr John?
April 8, 2019
Among other things, now I know the background behind the song "Save the Last Dance for Me".
On a plot of best known songs and least known writer (of lyrics), Pomus certainly stands out. I was totally unfamiliar with his name prior to finding this in a thrift store.
I rate the story above the writing. The latter was competent, and writing should not get in the way of a story like this anyway.
On a plot of best known songs and least known writer (of lyrics), Pomus certainly stands out. I was totally unfamiliar with his name prior to finding this in a thrift store.
I rate the story above the writing. The latter was competent, and writing should not get in the way of a story like this anyway.
July 8, 2017
If an author made up this story, no one would believe it.
Whether you like the song or not, you will never listen to "Save the Last Dance for Me' the same way after you read this book.
One of the most fascinating biographies I have ever read.
Whether you like the song or not, you will never listen to "Save the Last Dance for Me' the same way after you read this book.
One of the most fascinating biographies I have ever read.
August 19, 2020
Great biography of one of the world's best songwriters
When I was a kid, I used to look at the record labels to see who had written songs I really liked. This was shown in parentheses below the title of the song. I noticed that writers like Lieber and Stoller were on many Elvis Presley songs from the 1950s, but in the 1960s I saw that the best songs were written by Pomus and Shuman, Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. Among them were "Little Sister," " Marie's the Name of his Latest Flame, " "Mess of Blues" and "Viva, Las Vegas." Later I saw these names under the titles of other great hits like the Drifters' " Save the Last Dance for Me. "
Many years later I was a reporter in New York City and went to the Lone Star Cafe to interview a performer. The bartender told me the guy wouldn't be there for a while and suggested I go to a booth in a back room where Doc Pomus was also waiting. "The famous songwriter?" I said. Of course, I would go back and meet Doc. He turned out to be one of the nicest guys I ever met, very generous and full of great stories. A week or so later, I went to his apartment to interview him and some time after that I went to his birthday party there, where I met other legends like Otis Blackwell.
This book took me back to that time and also informed me of Doc's difficult, but exciting life. Crippled by polio at a young age, he did everything he could to succeed despite his handicap. He was one of the few white men who sang the blues in rough joints in Brooklyn frequented by an almost totally black clientele in the 1940s. He later worked at the Brill building in Manhattan with his partner Mort Shuman. Together they wrote a large number of great early rock songs. Besides Elvis, they gave hit songs to Ray Charles, Dion and The Belmonts, Jimmy Clanton, the Drifters, the Coasters, Connie Francis, Fabian and many others.
Doc (born Jerome Felder) was happiest when he was around singers, musicians and fellow songwriters. Bob Dylan even visited him once to get some help with writer's block. During a tough spell in the late sixties and early seventies, the royalty payments started to diminish and Doc earned his living playing poker. He was good at it, but it put him in some danger because of the mafia types that would sometimes show up. One time armed gunmen busted in and stole everyone 's money. But when Elvis died he and Shuman made even more money then they had initially after countless memorial records came out. Elvis records sold steadily after his death in August, 1977 and are still popular with both older and younger fans, some of whom were born well after the demise of the King.
One problem with this book is that the loose, conversational style sometimes can be confusing. Halberstadt also leaves out important dates that could help the reader develop perspective on aspects of Doc's life. But the book delivers in offering a look at this fascinating figure whose talent and hard work provided some of the great blues, jazz and pop songs of the mid twentieth century.
When I was a kid, I used to look at the record labels to see who had written songs I really liked. This was shown in parentheses below the title of the song. I noticed that writers like Lieber and Stoller were on many Elvis Presley songs from the 1950s, but in the 1960s I saw that the best songs were written by Pomus and Shuman, Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. Among them were "Little Sister," " Marie's the Name of his Latest Flame, " "Mess of Blues" and "Viva, Las Vegas." Later I saw these names under the titles of other great hits like the Drifters' " Save the Last Dance for Me. "
Many years later I was a reporter in New York City and went to the Lone Star Cafe to interview a performer. The bartender told me the guy wouldn't be there for a while and suggested I go to a booth in a back room where Doc Pomus was also waiting. "The famous songwriter?" I said. Of course, I would go back and meet Doc. He turned out to be one of the nicest guys I ever met, very generous and full of great stories. A week or so later, I went to his apartment to interview him and some time after that I went to his birthday party there, where I met other legends like Otis Blackwell.
This book took me back to that time and also informed me of Doc's difficult, but exciting life. Crippled by polio at a young age, he did everything he could to succeed despite his handicap. He was one of the few white men who sang the blues in rough joints in Brooklyn frequented by an almost totally black clientele in the 1940s. He later worked at the Brill building in Manhattan with his partner Mort Shuman. Together they wrote a large number of great early rock songs. Besides Elvis, they gave hit songs to Ray Charles, Dion and The Belmonts, Jimmy Clanton, the Drifters, the Coasters, Connie Francis, Fabian and many others.
Doc (born Jerome Felder) was happiest when he was around singers, musicians and fellow songwriters. Bob Dylan even visited him once to get some help with writer's block. During a tough spell in the late sixties and early seventies, the royalty payments started to diminish and Doc earned his living playing poker. He was good at it, but it put him in some danger because of the mafia types that would sometimes show up. One time armed gunmen busted in and stole everyone 's money. But when Elvis died he and Shuman made even more money then they had initially after countless memorial records came out. Elvis records sold steadily after his death in August, 1977 and are still popular with both older and younger fans, some of whom were born well after the demise of the King.
One problem with this book is that the loose, conversational style sometimes can be confusing. Halberstadt also leaves out important dates that could help the reader develop perspective on aspects of Doc's life. But the book delivers in offering a look at this fascinating figure whose talent and hard work provided some of the great blues, jazz and pop songs of the mid twentieth century.
June 12, 2020
A riveting read (at least for this rock & roll geek). Jerome Solon Felder renamed himself "Doc Pomus" and became a Brill Building legend, writing/co-writing some of the biggest hits of the 50's and 60's. He started his career as a "blues shouter" - his idol being Big Joe Turner (of "Shake, Rattle & Roll" fame) - and went on to write (often with Mort Shuman) such enduring songs as "Lonely Avenue", "Save the Last Dance for Me", "This Magic Moment", "Sweets for My Sweet", "Little Sister", "Surrender", "Can't Get Used to Losing You", "Suspicion", "Turn Me Loose" and "A Mess of Blues". My interest in the man was piqued after watching Lou Reed talk about him on Elvis Costello's terrific music show "Spectacle". It was Lou who inducted Doc Pomus into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. Doc Pomus sure had some ups and downs: he survived polio as a child, and in later life was confined to a wheelchair, was dead broke and confined to his room at times, went through a painful divorce, but in his later life, things were good, and he was happy, especially with people like Dr. John and Lou Reed rallying around. What a personality! What a creative, driven guy.
June 3, 2020
Having read "Always Music in the Air," the story of the Brill Building, I was familiar with Doc Pomus's name and songs, but I knew nothing about the man himself. When I picked up this book, I wasn't really sure I'd find it all that interesting, but I absolutely did. He was a fascinating person and lived quite a life, chock full of colorful characters. A great look into the New York City of the times, particularly the music writing/publishing/promoting world.
July 12, 2023
Rich life on Lonely Avenue
This book is an unflinching look of one of the greatest songwriters to ever lend his talent to rock n' roll. Well researched, well written & a bundle of inside information. When I started reading I knew very little about Doc Pomus, but when I finished I was clamoring to find his recordings, tribute albums & covers of his tunes. This is how rock n' roll bios should be written.
This book is an unflinching look of one of the greatest songwriters to ever lend his talent to rock n' roll. Well researched, well written & a bundle of inside information. When I started reading I knew very little about Doc Pomus, but when I finished I was clamoring to find his recordings, tribute albums & covers of his tunes. This is how rock n' roll bios should be written.
March 8, 2018
An amazing life and body of work; a talent and character that will never pass this way again ... The book is a wonderful remembrance of a golden era in music, in America really, and by the end of it you feel an attachment to Doc and hope he would live forever
May 8, 2022
I have to admit I didn’t finish this, and really just picked it up because I read a whole book by this author, so was curious. I don’t get it- the made up dialogue, with the cool slang, it sounds so cheesy. This was in bad taste, and I barely left it with any feel for the subject himself.
January 3, 2019
Doc's story is amazing. A great well told story about an increble songwriter.
June 6, 2020
Great songwriter
This was a great book, It was cool learning about Doc Pomus and the life he lived. Highly recommended for aspiring songwriters.
This was a great book, It was cool learning about Doc Pomus and the life he lived. Highly recommended for aspiring songwriters.
January 27, 2021
who is more inspiring than Doc Pomus?
February 21, 2021
A majestically written book worthy of its subject.
January 25, 2023
Doc's was such a likeable character, it is no suprise that he wrote such amazing music. I wish more people knew about his story.
January 14, 2008
This is the heartwarming story of Doc Pomus, who was born in Brooklyn as Jerome Felder, and went on to become one of the most honored songwriters in the history of rock and roll. All of this while being handicapped. He could only walk with the aid of crutches, and later he was confined to a wheelchair.
Every life has its ups and downs, and Doc's was no exception. He started his music career as a white blues singer in a largely black world, and gained respect. Then he moved to songwriter, where he and partner Mort Schuman wrote a number of classic rock and roll songs for artists like The Drifters, Ray Charles, and Elvis Presley. He moved from poverty to wealth and back again. He found and lost loves twice in his life, and when he died hundreds of people showed up for his funeral.
The author never attempts to make you feel sorry for Doc. I'm sure he realized that Doc wouldn't have wanted that. He tells the story, and in doing so brings you close to Doc. I must admit that when I came to the passage where Doc died, tears came to my eyes. It's a great story for anyone interested in the history of American popular music.
Every life has its ups and downs, and Doc's was no exception. He started his music career as a white blues singer in a largely black world, and gained respect. Then he moved to songwriter, where he and partner Mort Schuman wrote a number of classic rock and roll songs for artists like The Drifters, Ray Charles, and Elvis Presley. He moved from poverty to wealth and back again. He found and lost loves twice in his life, and when he died hundreds of people showed up for his funeral.
The author never attempts to make you feel sorry for Doc. I'm sure he realized that Doc wouldn't have wanted that. He tells the story, and in doing so brings you close to Doc. I must admit that when I came to the passage where Doc died, tears came to my eyes. It's a great story for anyone interested in the history of American popular music.
October 23, 2012
Lonely Avenue is the biography of New York City, Brooklyn born singer then songwriter, Jerome Felder, known by his professional or stage name as Doc Promos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doc_Pomus As a young boy in Brooklyn, Jerome contracted polio and was left partially paralyzed and forever on crutches or in a wheel chair. An early interest in music led to his brief career as a singer. Following that scant success singing blues and jazz, over the next four decades Doc Pomas together with a number of partners crafted more than a thousand songs. Mostly rhythm-and-blues and rock 'n' roll tunes, some became top hits for artists such as Ray Charles, Bobby Darin, Fabian, the Drifters, Dion and the Belmonts, and Elvis Presley. Read online reviews of this book at This Magic Moment by Alan Light http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/boo... (Mar. 25, 2007, New York Times) and Viva Doc Pomus! http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/3... (Feb. 200) by M.E. Ross at PopMatters. (lj)
January 31, 2011
Even if you're not into 50s/60s music (and by the way, you should be, at least a little), the up-and-down life story of Doc Pomus will keep you hooked until the end. The man who helped pen "Save the Last Dance for Me", "Viva Las Vegas", and countless others ran the gamut of emotions during his lifetime, and still managed to help revolutionize the rock n' roll genre. A truly engaging and riveting story about one of music's greatest writers.
January 1, 2012
First in a series of musician biographies I am undertaking. The plan is to read one per week for the entirety of 2011. (This was a warm-up.) Pomus and Shuman were among the great songwriting teams of the Brill Building era. I had no idea Doc had such an incredible and inspirational life (he was ravaged with polio at a young age.) Would like to read more about Mort Shuman now.
May 25, 2016
Very enjoyable read about a remarkable and very likable person. Pomus paid and paid and paid his dues, making his triumphs that much sweeter. Great excuse to listen not only to the many great songs he wrote (with which I was already familiar) but also his recordings as a blues shouter (which I wasn't).
May 30, 2016
I loved this book. I don't usually read non-fiction or biographies, but this was so well written. An avid music listener, Doc Pomus was the last of a generation of songwriters. While reading the book, I had to listen to what he had written. Thousands of songs! He was venerated by many singers and songwriters: Dylan, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Shawn Colvin...
September 28, 2014
One of the most interesting, generous, talented, songwriter/musician of the 20th Century. He was also the
penultimate character, shady poker games, mob on the side, Brill Building stories, Broadway characters.
I am proud to have known him and to have called him good friend RIP.
penultimate character, shady poker games, mob on the side, Brill Building stories, Broadway characters.
I am proud to have known him and to have called him good friend RIP.
June 17, 2007
Learned a lot about the songwriter Doc Pomus, whose credits include "Save the Last Dance for Me", "Suspicion" and other fifties and sixties hits as well as some great blues and R and B songs.
August 16, 2007
Doc Pomus was a brilliant man!
Currently Reading
July 17, 2007My Dad was raving about this book. So far so good, an interesting tale about Doc Pomus a Jewish, parapalegic, Blues Singer living in NYC...
March 20, 2014
The copy I read is missing pages 209-232. So, I guess I'm done reading. Brought me up to around the year 1983.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews