I started out writing, singing and performing in various bands.  The guys that gave me my first big break were Hugo & Luigi.  They were the producers of all Sam Cook's hits, The Lion Sleeps Tonight and they wrote Elvis' "Can't Help Falling In Love With You". Bruce Springsteen even sings that song.  In fact, I went to lunch with Luigi only a few months ago.  The first project I did for Hugo & Luigi was The Balloon Farm who had a Billboard Top 40 hit called "Question Of Temperature". I sung, played lead guitar, wrote and arranged it. I had also written several hits for David Cassidy and The Partridge Family.  Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted went to number one and sold well over a million copies.

 I then went on to produce and write all the lyrics for Sir Lord Baltimore a power trio on Mercury Records.  They toured with Humble Pie (Peter Frampton & Steven Marriott) and Black Sabbath (with Ozzie Osbourne). I then discovered Bruce Springsteen and produced his first three records and managed his career as well.  I was largely responsible for getting him on the covers of Time & Newsweek in the same week.  No one ever duplicated that publicity coup to this day.