Tony Romeo

Not to be confused with Tony Romo.
For other people named Tony Romeo, see Tony Romeo (disambiguation).

Tony Romeo
Born(1938-12-25)December 25, 1938
Troy, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 23, 1995(1995-06-23) (aged 56)
Pleasant Valley, New York, U.S.
GenresPop
Occupation(s)Songwriter, singer, producer
InstrumentPiano
LabelsColumbia Records

Tony Romeo (December 25, 1938 – June 23, 1995) was an American songwriter.[1] He is best known for writing the number 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 number 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 wrote nine platinum records.[14] His most successful song, "I Think I Love You", was released in November 1970 by Bell Records, the first single released by The Partridge Family. The song hit number one on the U.S. Billboard Pop Singles chart for three weeks: November 15 – December 5, 1970 [15]

During the last 15 years of his life, Romeo was a resident of Pleasant Valley.[16] He died at home at the age 56 on June 23, 1995. His death was attributed to a heart attack.[1][2] Romeo was survived by his mother Irene Romeo Perrelle of Watervliet, and his brother Frank Romeo of Watervliet.[17]

  1. ^ a b "Tony Romeo, songwriter, 56" (obituary), The New York Times, June 26, 1995, page B8.
  2. ^ a b c "The Dead Rock Stars Club 1994 - 1995". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  3. ^ a b (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". Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  6. ^ (No author.) "Tune In [column]: 'I'm Gonna Make You Mine'," Charleston Gazette (Charleston, West Virginia), November 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, December 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, February 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 – Tony Romeo songlist
  10. ^ "AllMovie | Movies and Films Database | Movie Search, Ratings, Photos, Recommendations, and Reviews". AllMovie.com. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  11. ^ "Tony Romeo". IMDb.com. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  12. ^ "Romeo racks up 'de Bois', Billboard magazine, May 17, 1969.
  13. ^ "The Cowsills - Tony Romeo". Bapresley.com. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  14. ^ "Yahoo! Groups". Groups.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2001. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  15. ^ [1][permanent dead link]
  16. ^ The Cowsills website
  17. ^ The Sunday Gazette, June 25, 1995