Wed 1/15 @ 7PM
Doc Pomus, born in New York in 1925 as Jerome Felder, was one of a horde of young Jewish men attracted to playing the blues over the years. But you probably don’t know him as a blues singer; his recording career in the ’40s and ’50s wasn’t high-profile.
Where he DID make his mark — and what earned him induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 in the non-performing category — was as a lyricist on hit tunes like Dion’s “A Teenager in Love,” the Drifters’ “Save the Last Dance for Me,” Jay & the Americans’ “This Magic Moment,” and countless others.
A 2012 documentary titled A.K.A. Doc Pomus outlines the successful songwriting career of this determined and creative man who, despite dealing with limitations from childhood polio, carved out a living and a legacy for himself in the music business. It includes interviews with some of the artists, among them Dion and the Drifters’ Ben E. King, who reaped the benefits of Pomus’ talent, as well as readings from Pomus’ journals by the late Lou Reed.
It will be screened at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s Foster Theater. After the screening, there will be an interview with the film’s director William Hechter.
The event is free with a reservation, which you can make at the Rock Hall’s website or box office, starting at 10AM Tue 1/7.
rockhall.com/event/Doc-Pomus-Film/