FREDDY BIENSTOCK R.I.P. ROCK N PERPETUITY!
January 6, 2010
“One of my dreams comes true when Ben Raleigh takes me up to Hill and Range Music to meet Freddy Bienstock, who runs Elvis Presley’s publishing companies. He asks us if we’d like to write a song for Elvis’ next movie, “It Happened at the World’s Fair”.
I know this is my big chance, and Ben and I reach for the stars. We write a song for Elvis to sing on top of the Space Needle in Seattle, “Where Do You Want The World Delivered?”
Although Elvis loves the song, and we’re told we’re definitely going to be in the film, we’re knocked out at the last minute by a beautiful songwriter, who is on the set and has Elvis’ ear (among other things).
Ben and I continue for the next year and a half to work on Elvis movies. Writing for, “Kid Galahad”, “Fun In Acapulco”, and “Kissin’ Cousins”. Unfortunately, none of our songs are used, but I treasure the advance checks we would receive from Gladys Music, which had Elvis’ picture on them! I swear I’ll never cash them unless I really need the money, which is usually an hour or so after I have the check in my hand.
I had no dealings with Freddie Bienstock for years until The Jackson Five abruptly left Motown and was short on cash; I helped a grateful “Papa” Joe Jackson get a $25,000 advance for the group’s world wide sub – publishing rights from Freddy…even though Michael and his brothers weren’t writing very much at the time.
A few years later when the world-wide sub – publishing hadn’t paid off for Freddy, he blamed me for wasting his $25,000. Then when Michael explodes with the “Thriller” album, Freddy claims all of the mega-songs that Michael has written falls under his contract!
Now I had a once grateful “Papa” Joe mad at me for helping him get “a paltry $25,000.advance” and Freddy whom I expected to be grateful, never returns any of my phone calls ever again.”
From my forthcoming book, “I Did It For A Song”
Copyright 2009 by Artie Wayne https://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
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January 7, 2010 at 12:59 am
When I was engineering at Associated Recording and Elvis songs were being done…A title would come in that fit the flick, like: The Walls Have Ears…Well! I must of recorded ten songs with this title in two days written by ten song writers or more if there were teams…All sent to LA for someone to hear..So know that your songs must of had the same treatment..A ten to one shot.
Be well,
Barry O
August 2, 2011 at 8:00 pm
It’s amazing how friendships are destroyed “for the love of money” . Thanks for sharing this article.