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Mort Shuman | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | (1938-11-12)November 12, 1938 |
| Died | November 2, 1991(1991-11-02) (aged 52) London, England |
| Genres | Rock and roll |
| Occupations | Singer, pianist, songwriter |
Spouses | |
Mortimer Shuman (November 12, 1938 – November 2, 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960srock and rollhits, including "Viva Las Vegas".[1] He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as "Le Lac Majeur", "Papa-Tango-Charly", "Sha Mi Sha", "Un Été de Porcelaine", and "Brooklyn by the Sea" which became hits in France and several other European countries. Shuman wrote over 500 songs, including those forBen E. King,Elvis Presley,Ray Charles,[2]Andy Williams, andJanis Joplin. He was also responsible for the English-language production ofJacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.[3] Shuman was posthumously inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.
Mortimer Shuman[4] was born inBrooklyn,New York, United States, on November 12, 1938, to Polish Jewish immigrant parents.[1][5][6] His parents, Louis and Esther,[7] were poor.[5]
Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe found a favorite borough in Brooklyn, where Shuman grew up in an apartment near the sea. He was already a robustly built boy, much taller than anyone else his age.[7] Like many Brooklyn residents, Shuman only spoke Yiddish.[7]
He learned English at the end of grade school.[7] At the age of 18, he decided to begin writing lyrics.[6] Shuman attendedAbraham Lincoln High School.
He chose music as his field and consequently abandoned his studies in philosophy.[8] He attended the New York Conservatory,[6] where he studiedclassical music.[5]
Shuman left the borough and headed toward "the lights ofManhattan" thanks to the English he had learned.[7]
InHarlem, Shuman became a fan ofrhythm and blues music in the clubs,[6] and after meetingDoc Pomus, the two men teamed up to compose forAldon Music at offices in New York City'sBrill Building. Their songwriting collaboration saw Pomus write the lyrics and Shuman the melody, though each occasionally worked on both. Their compositions would berecorded by artists such asDion,the Flamingos,[9]Andy Williams,Bobby Darin,Fabian,Ajda Pekkan,the Drifters, andElvis Presley, among others.[1] Their most famous songs include "A Teenager in Love", "Turn Me Loose", "This Magic Moment", "Save the Last Dance for Me", "Little Sister", "Can't Get Used to Losing You", "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame", "Viva Las Vegas" and "Sweets for My Sweet".[1]
With the advent of theBritish invasion, they moved toLondon, where they penned songs for a number of British musicians. After his partnership with Doc Pomus ended in 1965, Shuman moved toParis, France, where he wrote songs forJohnny Hallyday and launched his own recording career.[1] Shuman wrote songs forEddy Mitchell andMichel Sardou.[10]
He also wrote a couple of hits in the UK (includingthe Small Faces' "Sha-La-La-La-Lee" andCilla Blacks' "Love's Just A Broken Heart", both co-written withKenny Lynch), as well as a musical,Budgie (lyrics byDon Black).[1] With the Welsh songwriterClive Westlake, he wrote "Here I Go Again", which was recorded bythe Hollies.[1]Billy J. Kramer enjoyed success with another Shuman song, "Little Children".[1]
In 1968, Shuman teamed withEric Blau and adapted the French lyrics of songs by the Belgian composerJacques Brel used as the basis of the successfuloff-Broadway productionJacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.[1] Some of the songs from the show were subsequently recorded byScott Walker, including "Jackie" and "Mathilde", and byDavid Bowie, including "My Death" and "Amsterdam".[1]
During the 1970s, Shuman enjoyed "great success" in France with his best-known songs, such as "Le Lac Majeur", "Un été de porcelaine", and "Papa-Tango-Charly".[8]
Shuman appeared in both the stage revue and the1975 film adaptation.[1] This was followed the next year with work on the soundtrack of the filmSex O'Clock U.S.A., which is notable for featuring one of the earliest known gay songs, "You're My Man,"[11] while another one of his compositions from the soundtrack, "Baby Come On" (billed under theSex O'Clock U.S.A. name during its chart run) become a modest hit onBillboard'sDisco chart, peaking at number 37 in July 1977. He also did many collaborations with the Israeli singerMike Brant, and composed film scores, often French movies, includingA Day at the Beach (1970),Romance of a Horsethief (1971),Black Thursday (1974),À nous les petites Anglaises (1976),Monsieur Papa (1977) andThe More It Goes, the Less It Goes (1977).[citation needed] He also worked occasionally as an actor, notably appearing withJodie Foster inThe Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (for which he also served as musical supervisor).[citation needed]
"Sorrow" was another of his well-known songs, which he performed on January 14, 1978, duringTF1'sNuméro Un, the variety show ofMaritie and Gilbert Carpentier.[8]
In 2019, journalistJean-Alphonse Richard [fr] said that Shuman "was never a star, but a clandestine worker of song: a man who fabricated hits on an assembly line... Too modest to claim gleaming paternity for it".[7]
While living in France, he metÉlisabeth Moreau, daughter ofClaude Moreau, co-director ofLarousse publishing. Shuman andMoreau married on September 28, 1974, inVilliers-Saint-Benoît, France. The couple worked together, co-writing some songs, including "My Name is Mortimer" and "La Lampe". Shuman andMoreau divorced in 1979.[12]
During a stay inArcachon, France, he met a woman fromBordeaux,[10] Maria-Pia Vezia.[12] Shuman and Vezia became engaged in December 1980.[10] He married her, and they lived together in theBordelaise region [fr] of France.[12] Maria-Pia Shuman[13] was his last wife.[10]
He had four daughters.[14]
His third language was French, whose sounds he adored.[7]
He had been living in London since 1986, where he had stopped drinking alcohol, and where he had also released an album and staged two musicals.[5]
Colette Godard ofLe Monde described him as a man who "never knew how to say no to a friend, even knowing he wouldn't be paid. He loves to share; his generosity is disorderly, his disorder generous".[5]
In 1991, Shuman underwent liver surgery.[5] He was hospitalized again[5] two weeks before his death.[6]
On November 2, 1991,[1] Shuman died in a London hospital following liver surgery.[5][6][10] According toColin Larkin, his cancer proved fatal.[1] His funeral took place in the suburbs of London.[10] Halliday placed on the coffin a cassette tape containing a song titled "Dans un an ou un jour" (lit. 'In a Year or a Day'), written by Shuman for him and recorded shortly before his death,[10] his last composition, but of which he never heard the final version.[15]
A few years later, his remains were transferred to the vault of his in-laws,[10] at the Pins-Francs cemetery, in theCaudéran district [fr] of Bordeaux.[10][16]
César Awards 1977: nominated forBest Music forÀ nous les petites Anglaises.[17]
On May 27, 1992, he was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame at the 23rd annual Induction and Awards Dinner held at theSheraton New York Hotel and Towers.[18]
On March 15, 2010, Shuman was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame during the 25th annual induction ceremony at theWaldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.[19] He was one of the2010 recipients of theAhmet Ertegun Award from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He joined his early collaborator Doc Pomus, who was inducted in 1992.[20]
(As composer unless otherwise stated)
