Doc Pomus was one of the foremost songwriters of rhythm & blues, pop, and rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s and ’60s, when his resume included hits by Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, Elvis Presley, the Drifters and many more, often co-authored by his longtime partner and pianist, Mort Shuman. Pomus, born Jerome Felder in Brooklyn on June 27, 1925, was inspired by a Turner record as a teenager and started out singing in local nightclubs. He began recording as a vocalist in 1945 and had releases on Apollo, Savoy and other R&B labels, but songwriting proved to be his ticket to success. At Atlantic/Atco Records he placed songs with Turner ("Boogie Woogie Country Girl"), Ray Charles ("Lonely Avenue") Guitar Slim ("Hello How Ya’ Been Goodbye"), and others acts including LaVern Baker, the Drifters, the Coasters and Bobby Darin. As a Brill Building musical team he and Shuman also wrote regularly for Elvis Presley, penning "Little Sister," His Latest Flame," and "Devil in Disguise," among others, and their hits for other artists included "This Magic Moment," " Save the Last Dance for Me," and "A Teenager in Love." After he and Shuman parted ways, Pomus left the music business for years and pursued another vocation, gambling. When he began to get more involved with music again in the late 1970s, he focused more of his attention on blues songwriting and producing, working with B.B. King, Big Joe Turner again, Johnny Adams, Roomful of Blues, and Jimmy Witherspoon, among others, and finding a new collaborator in Dr. John. Pomus was a familiar and beloved figure in his wheelchair on the New York club scene until his death of March 14, 1991. He left a legacy of some 1500 songs, according to his web site, including, apropos to this occasion, "Blues Hall of Fame."
