In the late 1950s, Bob Feldman started writing songs with a neighbor, Jerry Goldstein. Richard Gottehrer joined them in 1962. The three are known for writing the 1963 hit song “My Boyfriend’s Back" and for their group the Strangeloves, which had a number 11 hit with "I Want Candy." The trio also produced the McCoys’ number one hit “Hang on Sloopy.”
In this video, you can watch the Strangeloves performing "I Want Candy" in the mid-'60s. And, for fun, here you can watch Bow Wow Wow's much later version. It's quite the understatement to say that there's a difference between the two.
This tribute to Feldman is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.
Feldman also is the author of a pocket book, "Simply Put! Thoughts and Feelings from the Heart," which is available in paperback, hardcover or on Kindle. The picture in the chapter markers is of Feldman from his author page on Amazon. I put a picture of the cover of his book in the chapters at the end of the tribute.
Also in the chapters, you can go right to the tribute by skipping my intro; feel free to skip my closing remarks too. Both are there to provide context for those who haven't listened to the other tributes.
My guest Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and newspaper editor, wrote these tributes and recorded them. He also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, emailshzoldan@comcast.netwith the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
Audio engineer/musician Mike Villegas edited all the audio for this series. Hope you enjoy these intriguing glimpses into the lives of the people who made some of the music we love.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Audible, iHeart and Spotify.
