Mort Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas" He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as "Le Lac Majeur", "Allo Papa Tango Charlie", "Sha Mi Sha", "Un Eté de Porcelaine", and "Brooklyn by the Sea" which became hits in France.
Brooklyn-born Mort Shuman inherited from his parents a
passion for art and music. He studied philosophy at school, but despite being
accepted at City College of New York, Shuman opted for a career in music and
began writing songs. When he was barely 16, he met 31-year-old Doc Pomus, a
singer of some repute around the spots on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village.
Pomus was also a songwriter, and in him, Shuman found a soulmate. Pomus became
a friend and mentor and the two began writing songs together despite the
15-year age differential between them.
Thanks to a series of chance encounters with a number of
music professionals, the pair signed up with Hill and Range Songs, a music
publisher that had already established a working relationship with Elvis
Presley. From 1958 through the mid-'60s, Pomus and Shuman authored a great body
of pop song hits including, "A Mess of Blues," "Little
Sister," "Surrender," "Viva Las Vegas" and "His
Latest Flame" for Presley; "You Are My Baby" for Ray Charles; "A
Teenager in Love" for Dion; "Can't Get Used to Losing You" for
Andy Williams; and "This Magic Moment," "Sweets for My
Sweet" and perhaps the most memorable of them all, "Save the Last
Dance for Me," for The Drifters.
Together, these songs sold more than 30 million records.
Despite this success, Shuman left New York in the mid-'60s to enjoy a life of
travel. Stopping for a time in London, he managed to write a series of hits for
some of the top British acts, including "Little Children" for Billy
J. Kramer, "She La La La Lee" for the Small Faces and "Here I Go
Again" for The Hollies.
Some of the songs from the show were subsequently recorded by Scott Walker, including "Jackie" and "Mathilde". Shuman appeared in both the stage revue and the 1975 film adaptation. Ultimately, the show became one of the three longest-running off-Broadway musicals in history.
The show was also presented in major cities in the United
States, Canada and throughout the world. The score of the show using the Shuman
lyrics spawned recordings by several important name artists. David Bowie
performed on the song "Amsterdam" and both Dion and Dionne Warwick
recorded "If We Only Have Love," perhaps the best-known song from the
show.
Having fallen in love with Paris, Shuman later returned
there to live and to embark on a new career, that of recording artist.
Eventually, he became one of France's most popular personalities, both as
performer and as songwriter. He has six gold albums and countless
hits to his credit, including "Le Lac Majeure", which became one of the most successful singles ever to be issued in France. He also did many collaborations with the Israeli singer Mike Brant, and composed film scores, often French movies, including A Day at the Beach (1970), Romance of a Horsethief (1971), Black Thursday (1974), À nous les petites Anglaises (1976), Monsieur Papa (1977) and The More It Goes, the Less It Goes (1977).
hits to his credit, including "Le Lac Majeure", which became one of the most successful singles ever to be issued in France. He also did many collaborations with the Israeli singer Mike Brant, and composed film scores, often French movies, including A Day at the Beach (1970), Romance of a Horsethief (1971), Black Thursday (1974), À nous les petites Anglaises (1976), Monsieur Papa (1977) and The More It Goes, the Less It Goes (1977).
After 15 years of unbroken success in France, Shuman
moved to London to pursue his English language songwriting and recording
career. Shortly before his death, Atlantic Records released "Distant
Drum," his debut album for the label. Almost until his death, Shuman was
writing songs, including hits for Johnny Hallyday in France. He also was adding
the finishing touches to the score for a stage musical, "Save the Last
Dance for Me," which was to be launched on London's West End.
Shuman died November 2, 1991 after a courageous fight
against cancer, leaving his wife, Maria-Pia and their four daughters,
Maria-Cella, Barbara, Maria-Pia and Eva-Maria. Doc Pomus had died in March of
the same year.
Shuman was named one of the 2010 recipients of the Ahmet
Ertegun Award from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He joined his early
collaborator Doc Pomus, who was inducted in 1992.
(Edited from Songwriters Hall Of Fame & Wikipedia)
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For “Mort Shuman – Master Serie Vol. 1” go here:
https://pixeldrain.com/u/4rHLpHpq
1. Le Lac Majeur 5:21
2. Papa - Tango - Charly 4:41
3. Imagine 4:22
4. Brooklyn By The Sea 4:32
5. Ecoute Ce Que Je Vais Te Dire 2:55
6. Monsieur Lee 3:34
7. Sorrow 4:20
8. Des Musiques Sentimentales 3:14
9. Voilà Comment Tu M'As Laissé 3:47
10. Un Eté De Porcelaine 4:12
11. Shami - Sha 3:28
12. Save The Last Dance For Me 4:55
13. Dansons 2:24
14. Ma Chanson Italienne 4:34
15. L'Imperméable Anglais 3:25
16. Le Nègre Blanc 5:39
For “Mort Shuman – Master Serie Vol. 2” go here;
https://pixeldrain.com/u/zVi-BFdU
01. Le cœur sur la paille [04:46]
02. Le souffleur de verre [03:46]
03. Corfou sans vous [03:39]
04. L'accordéon naufrageur [04:12]
05. My Name Is Mortimer [03:54]
06. Barnabé [04:26]
07. J'ai mal dans l'cœur [03:14]
08. Malinda [04:02]
09. La lampe [04:50]
10. On a déjà donné [04:09]
11. Slave [03:34]
12. Good Bye Baby [03:52]
13. Attends je reviens [02:46]
14. Beau [03:54]
15. Belle tu es belle [04:32]
16. Je suis jaloux de vous [06:32]
17. Chanson d'espoir [04:17]
18. Le cœur sentinelle [04:31]
A big thank you to Ludovicio @ Entre Musica for original posts.
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