Tony Romeo

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For other people named Tony Romeo, see Tony Romeo (disambiguation).
Tony Romeo
Born December 25, 1938
Origin United States
Died June 23, 1995 (age 56)
Genres Pop
Occupations songwriter, singer, producer
Labels Columbia Records

Tony Romeo (December 25, 1939 – June 23, 1995) was an American songwriter.[1] He is famous for writing the No.1 hit "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family as well as many other hit records, mostly during the 1960s and 1970s.[2]

Other hits written by Romeo include "Oh Boy (The Mood I'm In)" by both Diana Trask and Brotherhood of Man; "Walking in the Sand," sung by Al Martino, which reached #9 on the Adult Contemporary charts in 1970;[3] "Indian Lake" for The Cowsills;[3][4] and "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" by Lou Christie.[5][6] He wrote songs for The Seekers, The Everly Brothers, Richard Harris[7] and David Cassidy[8] among others.[9] His songs were used in such movies as Rain Man (1988) and Gaby: A True Story (1987).[10] and the TV program The Debbie Reynolds Show (1969–1970).[11] Through colleague Wes Farrell's Pocket Full of Tunes songwriting agency, Romeo additionally created commercial jingles to advertise such products as Breck shampoo, Coty cosmetics' fragrance Muguet de Bois, Pall Mall cigarettes, and Scripto lighters.[12]

Off and on, during the 1960s and 1970s, he attempted to make a name for himself as a singer and recorded solo singles "My Ol' Gin Buddy and Me"/"Mr. Hunkachunk" for Columbia Records in 1966 and "Go Johnny Go"/ "Doctor Recommended Me a Potion" in 1977 for Lifesong Records. Overall, over 150 of his songs were recorded,[13] in addition to working as a record producer. In 1970, he wrote music and lyrics for a musical-theater version of A Dog of Flanders.[citation needed] He also produced the duo, Good & Plenty [2] (cf. Good & Plenty candy). He also wrote and produced the MGM album The Trout on which he performed along with his brother Frank Romeo and Cass Morgan, and the unreleased solo album Moonwagon.

Romeo's death at the age of 56, in Pleasant Valley, New York, in June 1995, was attributed to a heart attack.[1][2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Tony Romeo, songwriter, 56" (obituary), The New York Times, June 26, 1995, page B8.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed November 2010
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 (No author.) "Fayette County Youth Theatre sets two shows," The Valley Independent, July 28, 1970, page 27: This popular story ... has music and lyrics written by Suzanne Buhrer and Tony Romeo. ... Romeo has composed many songs, including Al Martino's hit 'Walking in the Sand,' music for Lou Christie, Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge, and The Cowsills' 'Indian Lake.'
  4. ↑ (No author.) "Partridges hit with new ingredient, old family recipe," Charleston Gazette, March 27, 1971, page 8: The Partridges even trade shamelessly in Cowsills-style material. 'I Think I Love You' was written by Tony Romeo, composer of the Cowsills 'Indian Lake.' And Romeo has three songs on the new Partridge album.
  5. ↑ Hit parade hall of fame - Lou Christie
  6. ↑ (No author.) "Tune In [column]: 'I'm Gonna Make You Mine'," Charleston Gazette (Charleston, West Virginia), Nov. 11, 1969, page 12 (includes full lyrics and chords).
  7. ↑ UPI. "Composer, guitarist causes big splash" (headline refers to a David Bowie album), Las Cruces Sun-News, Dec. 20, 1972, page 21: Richard Harris, one of the better singers, continues to come on strong with "Slides" (ABC Dunhill DSX 50133). All but one of the 12 songs, a finale by Harris himself, were written by Tony Romeo, who conceived the album. Among the songs are 'I Don't Have to Tell You,' and 'How I Spent My Summer.'
  8. ↑ Joe Davenport. "Records" (review of Cassidy's 1972 album Cherish), San Antonio Express and News, Feb. 20, 1972, Sunday One section, page 21: At first blush you get the impression Cassidy is more at home with Tony Romeo tunes than with others as he sings 'Being Together' and a great 'I Am A Clown,' on which the true qualities of Cassidy's ability comes forward.
  9. ↑ Allmusic.com - Tony Romeo songlist
  10. ↑ Allmovie.com - Tony Romeo credits
  11. ↑ IMDb.com - Tony Romeo page
  12. ↑ [http://books.google.com/books?id=xSgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA26&dq="tony+romeo"+and+(songwriter+OR+composer+OR+lyrics+OR+song)#v=onepage&q=%22tony%20romeo%22%20and%20(songwriter%20OR%20composer%20OR%20lyrics%20OR%20song)&f=false "Romeo racks up 'de Bois',] Billboard magazine, May 17, 1969.
  13. ↑ Bapresley.com - Tony Romeo
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