Music Faculty Member Interviewed by NPR, Washington Post
Music faculty member Parke Puterbaugh was interviewed by NPR and The Washington Post about songwriter Tandyn Almer, who died Jan. 8 and is best known for writing the 1967 hit Along Comes Mary.
“He’s one of the lost and hidden voices of the ’60s, and he left behind a body of work that’s ripe for rediscovery,” Parke told the newspaper. “There’s a whole catalogue of incredible songs that he wrote that no one’s ever heard.”
A former senior editor at Rolling Stone, Parke befriended Tandyn about five years ago and helped assemble an album of his recordings that will be released March 26 on Sundazed Records. The album includes a 5,000-word essay by Parke.
Parke was interviewed by All Things Considered host Melissa Block for a segment —“‘Along Comes Mary’ Songwriter Was A Lost Talent Of The 1960s” — that aired Feb. 17. He also was interviewed for an article — “Tandyn Almer, enigmatic composer of ‘Along Comes Mary,’ dies at 70″ — that ran in The Washington Post Feb. 17.
“He was of the caliber — although he wasn’t as prolific or as well known — as Brian Wilson,” Parke said. “He was very gifted, but he lived a kind of subterranean life.”
