AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bobby Bloom

Artist:Bobby Bloom

Song:Montego Bay

Album:AM Gold: Early 70s Classics

Montego Bay was a top ten hit in 1970. It was the only big hit for singer songwriter Bobby Bloom. Some of his other songs charted so he was not a one hit wonder. He also had success as a songwriter. He was born Jan. 15, 1946 in New York City. He was a member of the early 60s doo wop group The Imaginations. After releasing a single on Kapp Records in 1965, Bloom became a staff songwriter for Buddah Records. Though he released a few singles, he mostly wrote songs for others. His biggest success was when he co-wrote the 1968 number one hit Mony Mony by Tommy James and the Shondells. It was around this time that Bloom started working with veteran songwriter Jeff Barry. At the time, Barry was working on The Archies and The Monkees. Bloom wrote songs with Barry for both. After Bloom wrote and sang a 1969 Pepsi jingle, he got a record deal with Polydor in England and released the 1970 album The Bobby Bloom Album. When Montego Bay became a hit in England, it was picked up in the US by L&R Records owned by jingle writer and singer Joey Levine and veteran songwriter Artie Resnick. Both guys worked on Kasenetz-Katz acts like 1910 Fruitgum Company. When Montego Bay reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, L&R couldn't handle the demand. So they sold Bloom's contract to MGM and closed the company. Bloom and Barry wrote and produced Montego Bay and they played all the instruments on the album. Is Montego Bay a precursor of the rise of reggae.? I don't think so. I think Barry and Bloom spent some time there and wrote it as a tribute to Jamaica. Bloom's 1971 album Where Are We Going didn't do nearly as well. And then he died on Feb. 28, 1974 at age 28 when he accidently shot himself while cleaning his gun. You can get Montego Bay on this Time Life various artists budget comp. Here's the video for Montego Bay by Bobby Bloom.