Robert Bloom (January 15, 1946[1] – February 28, 1974) was an American[1] singer-songwriter. He is known best for being a one-hit wonder with the 1970 song, "Montego Bay", which was co-written with and produced by Jeff Barry.
Bobby Bloom | |
---|---|
![]() Bloom in 1970 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Robert Bloom |
Born | January 15, 1946 (1946-01-15) Brooklyn NY |
Died | February 28, 1974 (1974-03-01) (aged 28) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
Genres | Pop, calypso, rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | Early 1960s–1974 |
Labels | Polydor Buddah Kama Sutra L&R |
Bloom was born in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from Wantagh High School in 1964.[2] In the early 1960s, while still in his teens, Bloom had been a member of the doo-wop group, The Imaginations.[3][4] He received a big break in 1969 when he was awarded a contract to write and record a jingle for Pepsi, paving the way for his later success with "Montego Bay". He also played a role as a songwriter for the Kama Sutra/Buddah group of labels,[5] co-writing "Mony Mony" for Tommy James and the Shondells and, with Jeff Barry, "Sunshine" for The Archies.[5] 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[6][failed verification] at the controls. Early solo projects included "Love Don't Let Me Down" and "Count on Me".[5]
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.[5]
Having suffered from depression toward the end of his life, Bloom died on February 28, 1974, in an accidental shooting at his home in Hollywood, at the age of 28.[5]
Bloom had accidentally shot himself while cleaning his gun. The surviving members of Bloom's family did not believe Bloom would have shot himself, and the investigation never followed up on leads.[7] Jeff Barry learned later he was the sole beneficiary of Bloom's life insurance policy.[8]
Year | Title | Label | Charts |
---|---|---|---|
1965 | "I Still Remember" | Kapp | [10] |
1967 | "Love, Don't Let Me Down" | Kama Sutra | |
"Count On Me" | |||
1968 | "All I Wanna Do is Dance" | White Whale | |
1969 | " Jill" | Buddah | |
"Turn On" | |||
"Sign of the V" | Earth | ||
1970 | "Montego Bay" | L&R | US No. 8 UK No. 3 AUS No. 9 |
"Make Me Happy" | MGM | US No. 80 | |
1971 | "Where Are We Going" | Roulette | US No. 84 |
"Heavy Makes You Happy" | MGM | UK No. 31 | |
"We're All Goin' Home" | US No. 93 | ||
"We Need Each Other" | |||
"(It's) Emergency" | Map City | ||
1972 | "I Really Got It Bad for You" | MGM | |
"Sha La Boom Boom" | |||
1973 | "Island" | [11][12][13][1] | |
General | |
---|---|
National libraries | |
Other |
|