Mort Shuman My brother-in-law

II

  Doc Pomus

Shuman, Mortimer [„Mort“] (12/11/1936-2/11/1991) 
Mein Schwager Mort Shuman 

About Mort Shuman

Brooklyn born Mort Shuman inherited from his parents a passion for art and music, he studied philosophy at school, but dispite winning a place at the city college of New York Mort wasted little time in pointing himself towards a career in the music business and began writing songs. He identified with the city's black community and moved up to live in Harlem. When Mort was barely 16 he met 31 year old Doc Pomus, a singer of some repute around the spots on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. Pomus was also a songwriter and in him Mort found a soulmate. Pomus became Mort's friend and mentor and they began writing songs together despite the 15 year age differential between them.
Thanks to a series of chance encounters with a number of music professionals, the pair signed up eith Hill and Range songs, a music publisher which already had a relationship with Elvis Presley. From 1958 through the mid-60's, Pomus and Shuman authored a great body of pop song hits including 'A Mess Of Blues', 'Little Sister', 'Surrender', 'Viva Las Vegas' and 'His Latest Flame' for Presley, as well as 'You Be My Baby' for Ray Charles. 'This Magic Moment' and 'Sweets For My Sweet' for the Drifters; 'A Teenager In Love' for Dion, 'Can't Get Used To Losing You' for Andy Williams and perhaps the most memorable of then all, 'Save The Last Dance For Me' also for the Drifters.
These songs together sold more thean 30 million records but despite that success Shuman left New York in the mid 60's to enjoy life travelling. He stooped off in London and wrote a series of hits for UK acts including 'Little Children' for Billy J Kramer, 'Sha La La Lee' for the Small Faces and 'Here I Go Again' for the Hollies.
During a visit to Paris, Shuman discovered one of France's great poet-singers, Jacques Brel. When he returned to America, Shuman brought a bundle of Brel records with him, translated 30 of them into English and created the off-Broadway musical 'Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris'. The show is one of the three longest-running off-Broadway musicals in history. It was also presented in major cities in the United States and Canada and in many others world capitals as well.
The score of the show using the Shuman lyrics spawned recordings by several major name artists. Scott WAlker recorded a number of Brel/Shuman works which have become the definitive English Language versions, David Bowie performed on the song 'Amsterdam' and both Dion and Dionne Wawick 'If We Only Have Love', perhaps the best known song from the show.
Having falling in love with Paris, Shuman returned there to live and to embark on a new career, that of a recording artist. Ultimately, he became one of France's most popular personalities both as performer and songwriter. He has six gold albums and countless hits to his credit including 'Le Lac Majeur' which became one of the most successful singles of all time in France. He also created 15 film scores.
After 15 years of unbroken Success in France, Shuman decided to move to London to pursue his English language songwriting and recording career. Shortly before his death, Atlantic Records released 'Distant Drum', his debut album for that label. Right up to his death, Shuman was writing songs - hits for Johnny Hallyday in France and the score for a new stage musical 'Save The Last Dance for Me' to be launched on the West End of London.
Mort Shuman dies on November 2nd 1991 after a courageous fight against cancer leaving his (2nd) wife, Maria-Pia and their four daugthers, Barbara, Maria-Pia, Eva-Maria and Maria-Celia.

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Shuman, Mortimer [„Mort“] (1936-1991)

Mort(imer) Shuman est né à Brooklyn en 1938 au sein d'une famille originaire de Pologne. La mixité raciale et culturelle de ce quartier pauvre de New York forme la véritable éducation musicale d'un jeune homme que la musique attire depuis toujours. Son ami Doc Pomus (paroles) et lui (musiques) se font vite connaître en écrivant des hits pour des vedettes pop et rock, dont le King Presley en personne !
Mort Shuman choisit alors de s'établir en Angleterre où il continue sur sa lancée de compositeur. Il fait la connaissance de Jacques Brel dont il porte la vie et la carrière sur scène dans une comédie musicale, Jacques Brel is alive and well and living in Paris. Il tient lui-même le rôle principal et s'affirme alors comme un interprète de premier ordre. Ses chansons, souvent adaptées en français, lui donnent l'idée de s'installer à Paris, ville avec laquelle il s'est toujours trouvé en parfaite symbiose : d'ailleurs, il composera même une comédie musicale (jamais représentée) sur l'histoire de la ville lumière, Ma ville.

Ses chansons sont de gros succès, en particulier "Le lac majeur" : Initialement boudé par les radios qui trouvent le titre trop long, la demande est telle qu'elles se trouvent bientôt contraintes de le diffuser. Les enregistrements se succèdent mais Mort Shuman, timide et préférant se concentrer sur la composition, apparaît relativement peu sur scène.

Artiste doué et généreux, il disparaît en 1991, à seulement 54 ans, des suites d'une opération du foie. Une santé de porcelaine pour un talent majeur.

 

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b. 12 November 1936, Brooklyn, New York, USA, d. 2 November 1991, London, England. After studying music, Shuman began writing songs with blues singer Doc Pomus in 1958. Early in 1959 two of their songs were Top 40 hits: "Plain Jane" for Bobby Darin, and Fabian's "I'm A Man". During the next six years, their catalogue was estimated at over 500 songs, in a mixture of styles for a variety of artists. They included "Surrender", "Viva Las Vegas", "Little Sister" and "Kiss Me Quick" (Elvis Presley), "Save The Last Dance For Me", "Sweets For My Sweet" and "This Magic Moment" (the Drifters), "A Teenager In Love" (Dion And The Belmonts), "Can't Get Used To Losing You" (Andy Williams), "Suspicion" (Terry Stafford), "Seven Day Weekend" (Gary "U.S." Bonds) and "Spanish Lace" (Gene McDaniels). Around the time of the team's break-up in 1965, Shuman collaborated with several other writers. These included John McFarland for Billy J. Kramer's UK number 1, "Little Children", Clive Westlake for "Here I Go Again" (the Hollies), ex-pop star Kenny Lynch, for "Sha La La La Lee" (Small Faces), "Love's Just A Broken Heart" (Cilla Black), producer Jerry Ragovoy for "Get It While You Can" and "Look At Granny Run, Run" (Howard Tate)

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Subsequently, Shuman moved to Paris, where he occasionally performed his own one-man show, and issued solo albums such as Amerika and Imagine ..., as well as writing several songs for Johnny Halliday. In 1968 Shuman translated the lyrics of French composer Jacques Brel; these were recorded by many artists including Dusty Springfield, Scott Walker and Rod McKuen. Together with Eric Blau, he devised, adapted and wrote lyrics for the revue Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris. Shuman also starred in the piece, which became a world-wide success. In October 1989, Budgie, a musical set in London's Soho district, with Shuman's music and Don Black's lyrics, opened in the West End. It starred former pop star, turned actor and entrepreneur, Adam Faith, and UK soap opera actress, Anita Dobson. The show closed after only three months, losing more than £1,000,000. Shuman wrote several other shows, including Amadeo, Or How To Get Rid Of It, based on an Ionesco play, a Hong Kong portrayal of Madame Butterfly and a reworking of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's opera Aufstieg Und Fall Der Stadt Mahogonny. None has yet reached the commercial theatre. After undergoing a liver operation in the spring of 1991, he died in London.

While either on his own, or teamed with songwriting partner Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman has authored some of the most lasting songs in pop music, including "Save the Last Dance For Me" and "Teenager in Love." Born in Brooklyn to Jewish immigrant parents, ShumanRuth BrownShuman started penning lyrics at 18 and found success when his songs such as "Surrender" were recorded by Elvis. In 1958 the songwriter met fellow white r&b devotee Doc Pomus and the two took up residence in a small Greenwich Village flat, forming a successful songwriting partnership. Together the duo signed on as writers at the Brill Building, penning hits for the Drifter's ("Save the Last Dance For Me" and "Sweets For My Sweet"), Elvis ("Little Sister") and Dion and the Belmonts ("Teenager in Love"). Those early '60s songs represented the zenith of Shuman's creative output ("...Last Dance" alone has been played across the airwaves over 4 million times), but the songwriter continued to write for Janis Joplin, Andy Williams and the Small Faces, among others. In 1966 Shuman had somewhat of an epiphany when he heard the work of Belgian composer Jacques Brel. He immediately moved to France and began translating Brel's work into english. In the early '70s he wrote and directed a musical around his translations of Brel's songs and titled it Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Livin studied at the New York Conservatory, but felt rejected and alienated by his peers in Brooklyn. Identifying with the Black Community in Harlem, Shuman's true musical education came within the area's raucous r&b clubs, where he soaked up the sounds of and others. g in Paris. ShumanShuman died at the age of 52 in a London hospital from complications due to a liver operation. ~ Steve Kurutz, All Music Guide also became a star in his own right in France when several of his French language songs (filtered through a New York accent) became hits. In 1991, shortly before undertaking a musical based on his life,

Master Serie Vol 1






1972, America

Mort Shuman - compilation 2000 - Universal Music

Expression

Esther Tohbi. Exodus

Distant Drum

My name is MortimerM. Shuman Text+Music

My name is Mortimer
Je suis venu de loin
Que tu sois là, que tu sois là près de moi
Ca va me faire du bien

My name is Mortimer
Je me sens un peu perdu
J’aurai besoin d’un coup de main
C’est quelque chose que je n’ai jamais eu

Please call me Mortimer
Je sais, c’est un drôle de nom
Je ne te demanderai rien
Et je te chanterai une chanson
Je te chanterai le matin
Quand le monde ne bouge pas encore
Je te chanterai l’enfant qui dort dans tes bras 
Je te chanterai me vent d’hiver
Qui a épousé la fille du Nord
Je voudrai ta main
Pour me sentir bien
Faire l’amour peut-être
Et quand je serai très loin tu comprendras
My name is Mortimer
Oui ça va beaucoup mieux
Tu as souri, tu as compris
Il a suffi de peu

Pour poor old Mortimer
C’est vrai je ne suis pas beau
Je n’ai pas grand chose pour te faire
quelque chose
Je ne sais même pas dire de jolis mots

My name is Mortimer
Amène-moi dans ta maison
Installe-moi dans un coussin, 
ou dans tes draps de lin
Et je te chanterai une chanson
Je te chanterai cette fille 
que j’aimais quand j’étais
Un petit garçon
Je te chanterai ma tristesse et ma joie
Je te chanterai ma vie qui n’est qu’un piano 
et quelques chansons
Je te prendrai la main pour me sentir bien
Faire l’amour peut-être
Et quand je serai très loin tu comprendras
Lorsque je serai très bien tu m’oublieras

 


 

Mort Schuman

 

My name is Mortimer
Ó English translation:  Rafael Manory

My name is Mortimer
I have come from afar
So that you’d be there,
so that you’d be close to me
This makes me feel good
 
My name is Mortimer
I feel a bit lost
I need a handshake
That’s something I’ve never had
 

Please call me Mortimer
I know it’s a funny name
I will not ask for anything from you
And I will sing you a song
I will sing you in the morning
When the world is not yet moving
I’ll sing you of the child sleeping in your arms
I’II you sing you of my wind of winter
Who married the daughter of the North
I want your hand to feel good
Make love perhaps
And when I’ll be very far you’ll understand

My name is Mortimer
Who feels much better now
You smiled, you understood
It was enough for a while

Poor old Mortimer
It’s true I am not handsome
There is nothing I could do for you
And I don’t even know how to say nice words

 
My name is Mortimer
Bring me to your home
Put me on a cushion
Or on your linen sheets
And I’ll sing you a song
I will sing you about this girl I loved
When I was a little child
I will sing you of my sadness and my happiness

I will sing you of my life, 
which is only a piano and a few songs
I’ll take your hand in mine to feel good
Make love perhaps
And when I’ll be very far you’ll understand
When I’ll be very good you’ll forget me…