Person

Bennett, Roy C.

1918-2015

Israel Brodsky, known as “Izzy,” who as an adult changed his name to Roy C. Bennett, is famous as half of the song-writing team Tepper and Bennett. He was born in Brooklyn into a Jewish Eastern European immigrant family. He began song writing at the age of eleven. His friend as a child was a boy named Sid Tepper, and the boys’ mutual interest in music led to a 25-year collaboration. Bennett studied music at City College of New York but dropped out to serve in the US Air Force intelligence. After the war both boys worked for Sydney Mills of Mills Music, Inc. Their songs were recorded by many top singers. Between 1945 and 1970, when Tepper retired to Florida after a heart attack, the team published some 300 songs. Forty-two of them were recorded by Elvis Presley. Among their best-known songs were “Red Roses for a Blue Lady” and “The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane,” the latter a humorous description of a nine-day old baby that was sung by the Ames Brothers. In his forties, Bennett returned to finish college as an example to his twin sons. The team was honoured in 2002 in Memphis by Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie, for the many songs they had written for her father. Bennett and Tepper died on the same day in 2015 in Queeens, New York and Miami Beach, Florida, respectively.