Episode 23: Cynthia Weil Tribute

In a June Substack tribute to Cynthia Weil’s legacy, Dan Epstein of “Jagged Time Lapse” observed that the “modern pop songbook would be significantly slimmer and less life-affirming without their work”.  The ‘their’ referring, of course, to her husband and songwriting partner Barry Mann. From their early Brill Building output which included “Uptown” (The Crystals), “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (The Righteous Brothers), and “Walking In The Rain” (The Ronettes), to the chart-topping 80s classics of “Don’t Know Much” (Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville) and “Here You Come Again” (Dolly Parton), Cynthia Weil’s contributions to popular music were indeed affirming. This week’s Deeper Roots pays due respect to Cynthia, who was married to Barry Mann for almost 62 years, and was lyricist to his music. Their contributions to the sound of rock and roll and pop music in the 1960s rivaled luminaries like Burt Bacharach, Carole King and Neil Diamond.