Songwriter Alan Gordon Passes Away

Songwriter Alan Gordon, who was responsible for numerous hits for the Turtles, Three Dog Night, Barbra Streisand and many others, passed away on November 22 in Scottsdale, Arizona at the age of 64. He had been diagnosed with cancer two years ago and had been undergoing treatment.

Gordon and frequent writing partner Garry Bonner, first met in the mid-60's when Bonner was hired for lead vocals in Gordon's group Tex & the Chex which was renamed the Magicians. The group recorded four singles, none of which sold beyond the confines of New York City. Their biggest claim to fame was that they replaced the Lovin' Spoonful as the house band at New York's Night Owl Cafe.

After the breakup of the group, Gordon and Bonner went on to write one of the biggest hits of the last fifty years, Happy Together, along with many other of the hits of the Turtles. Later, they wrote Celebrate for Three Dog Night and, as a solo songwriter, Gordon wrote My Heart Belongs to Me for Barbra Streisand.

Composer Artie Wayne said, "He was one of the songwriters, who along with his partner Gary Bonner, helped define the sound of the '60s. At a time when most recording artists were starting to write most of their own material, Alan came along with finely tuned well-crafted songs that gave artists who didn’t write, an edge on the competition."

At the site Bravewords.com, writing partner Garry Bonner said "Alan was one of the brightest lights that this world ever had and he still is - and his music will live on. We in the music business were so lucky to know such a person, a real man of such joy and greatness."

Howard Kaylan of The Turtles told Bravewords, “This week, while the nation is giving thanks for the blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon our humble species, I will be giving thanks for the privilege of knowing Alan Gordon for the past forty-one years. Alan was and IS everything that is RIGHT with the world...kind and loving; compassionate and wise beyond his years. He will never have an equal. No one will ever take his place. I miss him dearly.”

The major songs of Alan Gordon:

• Cat in the Window (Bird in the Sky) - Petula Clark
• Celebrate - Three Dog Night
• Girls in Love - Gary Lewis & the Playboys
  
• Happy Together - Turtles
• Jill - Gary Lewis & the Playboys
• Melancholy Music Man - Righteous Brothers
  
• My Heart Belongs to Me - Barbra Streisand
• She Knows - Bobby Darin
• She'd Rather Be With Me - Turtles
• She's My Girl - Turtles
• You Know What I Mean - Turtles