Ellie Greenwich, Good-Bye

Ellie Greenwich, a famous rock songwriter, died last month, age 68.  In the words of the first paragraph of the linked obituary:

“In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time included six by Ellie Greenwich and her husband and writing partner, Jeff Barry – more than by any other songwriting team. They had 17 singles in the pop charts of 1964, surpassed only by John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the Beatles and the Americans Holland, Dozier and Holland.”

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/music-obituaries/6100832/Ellie-Greenwich.html

Songwriter Jeff Barry, who was married to Greenwich during the ‘60s, is Jewish and actually was distantly related to Greenwich.

The top Barry/Greenwich ‘60s rock hits include: “Be My Baby," "Da Doo Ron Ron," "And Then He Kissed Me," "Chapel Of Love," "River Deep, Mountain High," "Hanky Panky," "Do Wah Diddy,” and “Leader of the Pack.”

In an old interview, Greenwich described her background: “I was born in Brooklyn. At the age of ten we moved to Levittown, Long Island. We lived on the corner of Starlight and Springtime Lane. My birthday is October 23rd, on the cusp of Libra and Scorpio. My father was Catholic and my mother was Jewish. I was destined for something - half and half, and on the cusp of everything. “

http://www.spectropop.com/EllieGreenwich2/index.htm

Greenwich was raised Jewish and identified as Jewish her whole life.

Greenwich was one of the stable of great rock songwriters/performers who worked out of the "Brill Building" in New York City during the late '50s through the late '60s. During rock's so-called fallow period, from the death of Buddy Holly in 1958, to the coming of the British Invasion/Dylan 'goes electric' (1965-65)--- these writers provided the best rock songs around.

Virtually all were Jewish---Don Kirshner, Artie Kornfeld, Carole King and her songwriting partner husband Gerry Goffin, Neil Sedaka and his songwriting partner, Howard Greenfield; Burt Bacharach and Hal David; Neil Diamond, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, and Laura Nyro (whose mother was Jewish).