David Pomeranz (born February 9, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, composer, lyricist, and writer for musical theater. He is also an ambassador for Operation Smile, a foundation dedicated to cleft lip and palate and a member of the Church of Scientology.[1][2][3]
David Pomeranz | |
---|---|
Born | Long Island, New York, United States | February 9, 1951
Genres | Pop, adult contemporary |
Occupation(s) | |
Instruments | Vocals, piano, keyboards, acoustic guitar |
Labels | Rhino Pacific PolyEast Records (Philippines) |
Website | www |
Solo career
editBorn and raised on Long Island, Pomeranz expressed interest in music from an early age, singing in the synagog choir, learning to play the piano, guitar and drums, and writing and recording songs by the age of fourteen. From October 1968 to January 1969, he was lead singer for the Ohio-based rock band East Orange Express and when Pomeranz left the group, fellow member Dan Schear took over.[4] When he was nineteen, MCA/Decca signed him to a contract that yielded two albums, New Blues and Time to Fly (the latter featuring Chick Corea), and he began touring the country as the opening act for Rod Stewart, Billy Joel, Three Dog Night and The Doors, among others.
In the late 1980s, Pomeranz collaborated with Russian rock star Alexander Malinin on the pre-glasnost "Faraway Lands", which they performed live in Moscow's Gorky Park for an episode of the television sitcom Head of the Class, the first time an American series filmed there. He also sang the song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now", which was the theme song for the television series Perfect Strangers.[5]
Pomeranz continued to tour as a solo act, appearing in such venues as the Hollywood Bowl, Kennedy Center, Olympic Stadium in Munich, and the Kremlin. He and David Shire collaborated on the theme song for the United Nations World Summit For Children entitled "In Our Hands", which the duo performed at the closing ceremonies for Ted Turner's Goodwill Games in Seattle. In 1999, Pomeranz recorded the CD Born for You – His Best and More in the Philippines, a compilation album that became the country's best-selling album of 1999[6] and the 13th best-selling album of all time. Additional recordings include The Eyes of Christmas and On This Day.
Composer
editPomeranz's songs include "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again" and "The Old Songs", both recorded by Barry Manilow; and "It's in Every One of Us", which was featured in the TV specials John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together, Rocky Mountain Holiday and A Muppet Family Christmas, the Dave Clark musical Time, the film Big, and at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. His work has been performed by artists as diverse as Bette Midler, Phoebe Snow, Freddie Mercury, Richie Sambora, Missy Elliott, The Carpenters, Harry Belafonte, Andrea Marcovicci, Donna Summer, Lillias White, The Hollies and Cliff Richard, and his various songwriting projects have amassed a total of twenty-two platinum and eighteen gold albums.
Pomeranz has composed for feature films, television (earning a 1981 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics for the CBS television movie Homeward Bound[7]), and the stage, including the hit West End musical Time; Little Tramp, based on the life and career of Charles Chaplin, staged for the 1995 Eugene O'Neill Theater Festival in Waterford, Connecticut and presented in a 1996 concert version in St. Petersburg, Russia; and a musical adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities, produced by Bill Kenwright for the Theatre Royal, Windsor (1998) and the Alexandria Theatre in Birmingham (1999). With Kathie Lee Gifford he has written two projects, Under The Bridge, which premiered off-Broadway in January 2005, and Saving Aimee, based on the life of evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, which debuted at the White Plains Performing Arts Center in October 2005 and was staged at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia in April–May 2007. In 2012, Saving Aimee was renamed to Scandalous and opened on November 15, 2012 in the Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway in New York City.[8]
Discography
editAlbums
editStudio albums
edit- New Blues (1971)
- Time to Fly (1971)
- It's in Every One of Us (1975)
- The Truth of Us (1980)
- Come Home (1993)
- Born for You: His Best and More (1999)
- The Eyes of Christmas (2000)
- On This Day (2001)
- Hold Tight (2007)
- A Personal Touch (2009)
- You're the Inspiration (2012)
Compilation albums
edit- Best of David Pomeranz (1999)
Collaboration albums
edit- The Road to Freedom (with L. Ron Hubbard & Friends) (1986)
Singles
edit- "If You Walked Away" (1975)
- "The Old Songs" (1980; re-recorded 1999)
- "King and Queen of Hearts" (Zapped! movie theme song) (1982, re-recorded 1999)
- "Got to Believe in Magic" (Zapped! movie theme song) (1982, re-recorded 1999) (later covered by Juris in 2013)
- "Born for You" (1999)
- "On This Day" (2001)
References
edit- ^ Albano, Lou E. (February 20, 2013). "David Pomeranz: As Long As You Love Me". spot.ph. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
I've been a Scientologist for 30 years now," he admits, "and it's been the singular most important thing I've ever done-reading Dianetics and being a Scientologist. It's extraordinary. Have you read it? It's incredible, it's fascinating. It's called The Modern Science of Mental Health. And it handles problems that don't go away, anything that's inappropriate, doesn't make you happy.
- ^ "David Pomeranz Discusses the Modern Science of Mental Health at Los Angeles Concert". Scientology Newsroom. August 2, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "SUCCESSES OF SCIENTOLOGY". What is Scientology?. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
[M]y life is infinitely better since my first introduction to Scientology. Before Scientology, I was on an emotional "roller coaster." Anytime I'd win at something or gain a moment of happiness, if it was on a Tuesday, you could predict that by Wednesday I'd be down in the dumps again. This "up and down and up and down" was such a point of upset and hopelessness for me that I finally resigned myself to the fact that this was something I was going to have to live with for the rest of my life.
- ^ Hage, Erik. "David Pomeranz Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
- ^ Perfect Strangers Opening on YouTube
- ^ Red, Isah V. (January 14, 2000). "Whatever happened to the Ramon Mitra biopic". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corp. p. 22. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
At the top of the list is David Pomeranz with his locally recorded album Born for You, His Best and More turning platinum six times and still rising.
- ^ "David Pomeranz Awards and Nominations". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (November 15, 2012). "Faith Healer Has Her Own Wounds to Tend". The New York Times.
External links
edit- Official website
- David Pomeranz discography at Discogs
- David Pomeranz at IMDb