Midnight Modulation Recording

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I grew up on Long Island in the 50s-60s mainly in Oceanside, Merrick & Great Neck. At the tender age of 7 I was on Pinky Lee's last NBC show - Pinky talked to me on it and there's a video of it. My step father, Jack Sobel, was Lenny Bruce's agent - he's mentioned in Albert Goldman's book LENNY and is seen in the HBO special-LENNY BRUCE; Swear to tell the Truth. My mom knew Frank Sinatra for a while and she was at the Crescendo Club in the early 50s when there was this incident that's mentioned in Kitty Kelly's book "HIS WAY". She was at a table with Frank and Judy Garland. Actually, the real story I just learned -in my mother's own words are "We had been to a birthday party for Sammy (Davis) . Judy and i wanted to see Mel Torme at the Crecendo. Frank said 'no' but when i said i was going anyway he decided to come. After the show as we were leaving, Mels press agent yelled out to frank to ask my name. Frank told him it was none of his biz $etc. The guy comes over to hit Frank and the guys from the parking lot were holding Franks arms down stupidly thinking they were helping him. Frank did not make the first hit. A dreadful night." In 1957, after discovering the cast album of "WEST SIDE STORY" I knew this is what I wanted to do. I went to CAMP TARIGO in Fleischmans, New York from '58-'63. I first started wriing songs here and was in many of the musicals-I played Will Parker in OKLAHOMA; Alfred Doolittle in MY FAIR LADY &, when I was 12, Harold Hill in THE MUSIC MAN. I used to put on shows all the time when I was between the ages of 5 and 12. I had copies of the Perry Como show scripts and later on I built a theater in my home and produced musicals by lip-synching to the cast records. I wrote alot and wrote TWILIGHT ZONE scripts. I sent one once to Rod Serling in 1961 when I was 11 and he sent back a letter which I still have. I still think The Twilight Zone was one of the best shows ever to grace television. I discovered electronic music and prepared a piano myself without knowing what I was doing - only to find out later that John Cage had invented it. I wrote him and have letters as well. After hearing The Beatles I knew I wanted to be a professional musician and writer. Basically it was John Lennon who changed me and I wanted to be like him. I wrote hundreds of songs in the 60s and performed live at the Gaslight Cafe in Greenwich Village. I formed bands - " THE LONG ISLAND SOUNDS " was one of the premier bands of the 60s on Long Island. In 1966 & '67 I went to an incredible teen-age camp in Jackson, New Hampshire called HAMPSHIRE LODGE. I signed with Albert Grossman in 1969 (who was manager for Bob Dylan , THE BAND , Janis Joplin and many others.) I had a songwriters contract - this was the ultimate for me. Would you like to hear some almosts? Remember Mary Hopkins "Those Were the Days"? - well, I wrote what was going to be her second hit, a song called "Steps". The Grossman office sent a fellow to London to play it for Paul McCartney (who was producing Mary) - now here's where it gets interesting.

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