Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1943, Richard Joel Rosenblatt loved the feeling he got from pretending to be Elvis Presley in front of his mirror. He learned to play guitar, and began writing and singing his own songs. In 1961, he was introduced to Paul Simon and together they wrote and produced, ‘Tick Tock’ which he sang and released as Ritchie Cordell. This infectious song goes in our play list on the strength of it’s success on the WHK Fabulous 50 Tunedex. Peaking at Number 20, back in June 1962, Cleveland was one of the cities responsible for this songs regional popularity. Over the next three years, Ritchie continued to record with little success but found himself drawn to the great New York songwriters that were cranking out hit after hit. Songwriting soon became his focus and in 1966, Cordell got a job at Roulette records. He began writing and producing for a Michigan garage band called Tommy James and the Shondells. He co-wrote “Mony Mony” and “I Think We’re Alone Now”. These songs made him unique as they hit the charts again, bigger and better than ever in the 80’s by Billy Idol and Tiffany. He got together with a former session player, Tommy Laguna who was the manager for Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and co-produced “I Love Rock & Roll.” In 2004, Ritchie succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 61. He is survived by his wife Helaina Bruno, and sister Ronni.
