Bobby Bloom

by Stacia Proefrock Remembered most for his sweet, bubbly 1970 album Montego Bay, Bobby Bloom also played a role as a songwriter and entrepreneur connected to the Kama Sutra/Buddah group of labels. He did engineering work for a number of artists, including Louis Jordan and Shuggie Otis. He formed a producing/songwriting partnership with Jeff Barry that included working on a late Monkees album. Early solo projects include Love Dont Let Me Down and Count on Me, but his break came with Montego Bay. All of the recordings that followed it employed its successful formula of pop, calypso, and rock. They include Heavy Makes You Happy and the Bobby Bloom Album, which was produced by Barry. Toward the end of his life, Bloom suffered from depression and was killed in an accidental shooting on February 28, 1974.