Robert Bloom (January 15, 1946 – February 28, 1974) was an American singer-songwriter. He is known best for being a one-hit wonder with the 1970 song, "Montego Bay", which was co-written with and produced by Jeff Barry. Biography Bloom was born in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from Wantagh High School in 1964. In the early 1960s, while still in his teens, Bloom had been a member of the doo-wop group, The Imaginations. He received a big break in 1969 when he was awarded a contract to write and record a jingle for Pepsi, paving the way for his later success with "Montego Bay". He also played a role as a songwriter for the Kama Sutra/Buddah group of labels, co-writing "Mony Mony" for Tommy James and the Shondells and, with Jeff Barry, "Sunshine" for The Archies. Bloom co-wrote songs with Jeff Barry and Neil Goldberg for the Monkees' album Changes and their 1971 single "Do It in the Name of Love". He often recorded demos of his songs at the recording studio of MAP City Records, owned by friends Peter Anders and Vincent "Vini" Poncia Jr., with chief engineer Peter H. Rosen at the controls. Early solo projects included "Love Don't Let Me Down" and "Count on Me". The recordings that followed his success with "Montego Bay" in 1970, "Heavy Makes You Happy", which became a hit for the Staple Singers in 1971, "Where Are We Going" and The Bobby Bloom Album all used the same combination of pop, calypso, and rock. Death Having suffered from depression toward the end of his life, Bloom died on February 28, 1974, in an accidental shooting at his home in Hollywood, at the age of 28. Bloom had accidentally shot himself while cleaning his gun. The surviving members of Bloom's family did not believe Bloom would have shot himself, and the investigation never followed up on leads. Jeff Barry learned later he was the sole beneficiary of Bloom's life insurance policy. Discography Albums 1970 The Bobby Bloom Album (L&R Records) US#126 1971 Where Are We Going (Buddah) Singles See also List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States References 1945 births 1974 deaths 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers American male pop singers American male singer-songwriters Polydor Records artists Buddah Records artists Kama Sutra Records artists MGM Records artists Accidental deaths in California Firearm accident victims in the United States Deaths by