When he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Pomus said, "Rock and roll wouldn’t have happened without Big Joe Turner."
He was born Jerome Solon Felder on June 27, 1925, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jewish immigrants. He became a fan of the blues after hearing a Big Joe Turner record.
Jerome Solon Felder
date & photographer unknown
When he was a boy, he had polio and was only able to walk with the help of crutches.
Jerome Solon Felder
date & photographer unknown
Later, because of post-polio syndrome exacerbated by an accident in 1965, Felder eventually had to rely on a wheelchair. His bus, known as the 'Docmobile', had a custom pneumatic elevator lift for his wheelchair.
Doc Pomus - 1980's
photographer unknown
Using the stage name
"Doc Pomus", Felder began performing as a blues singer when he was a teenager. His
stage name was not inspired by anyone in particular; he just thought it
sounded better for a blues singer than the name Jerry Felder.
Performing at various clubs in and around New York City, he performed with Milt Jackson, Mickey Baker, King Curtis and many others. He recorded approximately 40 sides as a singer in the '40s and '50s
for record companies such as Chess, Apollo, Gotham and others.
In the early 1950s, Pomus started writing magazine articles as well as
songwriting for artists such as Lavern Baker, Ruth Brown, Ray Charles
and Big Joe Turner. His first big songwriting break came when the Coasters had a hit with his song Young Blood; I love this song! There was a cool version of Young Blood (link below) performed by The Beatles for the BBC on June 1, 1963. This song was first released on the LIVE AT THE BBC album in 1994.
He was married to actress and dancer, Willi Burke, who was in several Broadway musicals (On The Twentieth Century, Fiorello!, etc.) He wrote the song, Save The Last Dance For Me on their wedding night. It was later recorded by The Drifters (link below).
He was married to actress and dancer, Willi Burke, who was in several Broadway musicals (On The Twentieth Century, Fiorello!, etc.) He wrote the song, Save The Last Dance For Me on their wedding night. It was later recorded by The Drifters (link below).
photographer unknown
He collaborated with pianist Mort Shuman to write for Hill & Range Music Co./Rumbalero Music at its offices in New York City Brill Building. He asked Shuman to write with him because he didn't then know
much about rock and roll, whereas Shuman was familiar with many popular
artists of the day. They wrote the hit songs A Teenager in Love, Save The Last Dance For Me, Hushabye, This Magic Moment, Turn Me Loose, Sweets For My Sweet (a hit for The Drifters and then The Searchers), Go, Jimmy, Go, Little Sister, Can't Get Used to Losing You, Suspicion, Surrender and (Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame.
date & photographer unknown
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Pomus wrote several songs with Phil Spector, Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber and other Brill Building-era writers. He also wrote Lonely Avenue, a 1956 hit for Ray Charles.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Pomus wrote songs with Dr. John, Ken Hirsch and Willy DeVille
for what he said were "...those people stumbling around in the night
out there, uncertain or not always so certain of exactly where they fit
in and where they were headed." These later songs are considered by some, musician and songwriter Dr. John and producer Joel Dorn, to be signatures of his best craft.
Alex Halberstadt published a book about Doc Pomus entitled, Lonely Avenue: The Unlikely Life & Times of Doc Pomus which refers to his hit song, Lonely Avenue. It was published by Da Capo Press in 1972. It was named a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice and a Best Book of 2007 by The Times (London).
Alex Halberstadt published a book about Doc Pomus entitled, Lonely Avenue: The Unlikely Life & Times of Doc Pomus which refers to his hit song, Lonely Avenue. It was published by Da Capo Press in 1972. It was named a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice and a Best Book of 2007 by The Times (London).
Lonely Avenue: The Unlikely Life & Times of Doc Pomus
The documentary film A.K.A. Doc Pomus, conceived by Pomus' daughter Sharyn Felder, directed by filmmaker Peter Miller, edited by Amy Linton and produced by Felder, Hechter and Miller, details Pomus' life was released in 2012.
Doc Pomus died on March 14, 1991, from lung cancer, at the age of 65 at the NYU medical center in Manhattan.
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Boogie Woogie Flu ~ Doc Pomus
CJ News ~ TJFF saves the last film for Doc Pomus review
Felder Pomus ~ Doc Pomus
Jewish News ~ Shouting The Blues: A pudgy Jewish kid reborn as Doc Pomus
NY times ~ A.K.A. Doc Pomus review CJ News ~ TJFF saves the last film for Doc Pomus review
Felder Pomus ~ Doc Pomus
Jewish News ~ Shouting The Blues: A pudgy Jewish kid reborn as Doc Pomus
NY Times ~ Lonely Avenue: This Magic Moment review
Peter Guralnick ~ Magic & Flying: Doc Pomus
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ~ Big Joe Turner
Stereophile ~ Lonely Avenue: The Unlikely Life & Times of Doc Pomus review
Tablet Magazine ~ Blues Brother
YouTube links:
Doc Pomus ~
My Good Pott
Send For The Doctor
Save the Last Dance For Me and how it almost wasn't
The Beatles ~ Young Blood
The Coasters ~ Young Blood
Big Joe Turner ~ A Boogie Woogie Country Girl
A.K.A Doc Pomus Official Movie Trailer - 2012
The Genius of Doc Pomus (1 hr, 39 min.)
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