Robert Bloom (January 15, 1946 – February 28, 1974) was an American Pop and blue-eyed soul singer, songwriter, musician, producer and engineer. He is best known for being a one-hit wonder with the 1970 song, "Montego Bay", which was co-written with and produced by Jeff Barry.
Bloom was born in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from Wantagh High School in 1964. Bobby was a struggling songwriter in the early 60s. He was trying his hand at everything, including doing some sound engineer work for Shuggie Otis and performing in the doo-wop groups, The Imaginations, The Ebonaires and The Expressions in 1963.
Bobby also played a role as a songwriter for the Kama Sutra/Buddah group of labels. He got hooked up with Tommy James & the Shondells in 1968 and co-write the #3 hit, Mony Mony. This got the attention of Jeff Barry, who had just started producing music for the Saturday morning cartoon, The Archie Show when he met Bobby. Soon after a ‘group’ called the Archies was formed and hit #1 with Sugar Sugar in 1969 and Bobby & Jeff collaborated on a follow-up single called Sunshine on which Bobby can be heard singing background. That same year found Bobby as one of the singers in the group Captain Groovy and his Bubblegum Army who released one single.
Bloom and Barry started to write some additional songs that Bobby would demo at his friend’s recording studio. Somehow the tracks got out and a little record label called L&R decided to put out the single, Montego Bay, to see what would happen. It ended up being a Top 10 record in the US & the UK. The song hurtled Bloom into a life of constant travelling. As the single went into the charts in various countries, he followed it, promoting, doing television and live dates. From the West Coast to London, to Hamburg, to New York, to Copenhagen, Berlin, Amsterdam and so on. He even squeezed a four day trip to Jamaica and visited Montego Bay.
Bloom co-wrote songs with Jeff Barry and Neil Goldberg for the Monkees' album Changes and their 1971 single "Do It in the Name of Love". He often recorded demos of his songs at the recording studio of MAP City Records, owned by friends Peter Anders and Vincent "Vini" Poncia Jr., with chief engineer Peter H. Rosen at the controls.
Early solo projects included "Love Don't Let Me Down" and "Count on Me". The recordings that followed his success with "Montego Bay" in 1970, "Heavy Makes You Happy", which became a hit for the Staple Singers in 1971, "Where Are We Going" and The Bobby Bloom Album all used the same combination of pop, calypso, and rock.
Tragically Bloom died on February 28, 1974, in an accidental shooting at his home in Hollywood, at the age of 28. It’s hard to know what exactly happened. Stories of it being self-inflicted because he was depressed, an accident because he was cleaning his gun or murder because he was breaking up a fight, have clouded the truth. And no one sure what the facts truly are. In a later interview with Don Charles Jeff Barry said “Somebody shot him, in a fight over a girl. It was crazy! He kicked down a door, and ran into the room, and the guy reached for a gun. I don’t think they ever found the guy.”
Barry learned he was the sole beneficiary of Bloom's life insurance policy. Apparently the police never opened an investigation to clarify Blooms death. The location of his burial remain unknown.
(Edited from Wikipedia, 7 Inches of 70’s Pop, Bubblegum University & Rock Anecdotary)
For “Bobby Bloom - Two Classic Albums (Where Are We Going & The Bobby Bloom Album) (1970)” go here:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.imagenetz.de/bCGPx
01) Bobby Bloom - Where Are We Going
02) Bobby Bloom - Cracks In The Sidewalk
03) Bobby Bloom - It's Love That Really Counts
04) Bobby Bloom - Count On Me
05) Bobby Bloom - Was I Dreamin'
06) Bobby Bloom - Baby, Baby
07) Bobby Bloom - Valerie
08) Bobby Bloom - Love Don't Let Me Down
09) Bobby Bloom - Where Is The Woman
10) Bobby Bloom - Pirates And Western Villians
11) Bobby Bloom - Jill
12) Bobby Bloom - The Game Can Be So Rough
13) Bobby Bloom - Make The Radio A Little Louder
14) Bobby Bloom - Heart Of Town
15) Bobby Bloom - Careful Not To Break The Spell
16) Bobby Bloom - Heavy Makes You Happy
17) Bobby Bloom - Try A Little Harder
18) Bobby Bloom - Oh I Wish You Knew
19) Bobby Bloom - Fanta
20) Bobby Bloom - Heidi
21) Bobby Bloom - This Thing I've Gotten Into
22) Bobby Bloom - A Little On The Heavy Side
23) Bobby Bloom - Brighten Your Flame
24) Bobby Bloom - Give 'em A Hand
25) Bobby Bloom - Montego Bay
A big thank you to Denis for suggesting today’s birthday singer and for supplying the two classic albums.
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There was an CDR compilation issued by “Teenager” Records circa 2002 containing the album Where Are We Going and various singles. Most - if not all - of the tracks seem to have been sourced from vinyl. The fact that this release does not include any copyright or license information can only mean that it is probably an unofficial release.(Discogs notes). The only copy that presently can be found is only at 128 bit rate and was tracked down by the very helpful Bob Crowe who has kindly loaned me the CD.
For “The Best Of Bobby Bloom Including "Montego Bay (circa 2002 Teenager)” go here:
https://www.upload.ee/files/14836702/Bobby_Bloom_Best.rar.html
I have posted the complete album. The 17 tracks not included in the two albums above are as follows:-
1 Bobby Bloom– I Still Remember 2:05
2 Bobby Bloom– Rough And Tough 1:57
10 Bobby Bloom– Don't Try To Climb My Tree 3:12
18 Bobby Bloom– Where Are We Going (Roulette Mix) 2:20
19 Bobby Bloom– Of Yesterday 1:43
20 Bobby Bloom– All I Wanna Do Is Dance 2:45
21 Bobby Bloom– Taggin' Along 2:22
22 Bobby Bloom– (It's) Emergency 2:20
23 Bobby Bloom– Sign Of The "V" 3:44
25 Bobby Bloom– Montego Bay (Single Version) 2:24
26 Bobby Bloom– Make Me Happy 3:00
27 Bobby Bloom– We're All Goin' Home 3:03
28 Bobby Bloom– We Need Each Other 3:01
29 Bobby Bloom– Until They Say Mercy 2:31
30 Bobby Bloom– Sha La Boom Boom (Single Version) 2:56
31 Bobby Bloom– Island 3:19
32 Bobby Bloom– Pepsi's Got A Lot To Give 1:00