Tom Dawes

• Born: July 25, 1943, Albany, NY
• Died: October 13, 2007
• Active: '60s
• Genres: Rock
• Instrument: Producer

Biography

Although pop music annals record Tom Dawes as a member of folk-pop combo the Cyrkle, which scored a 1966 smash with the classic "Red Rubber Ball," he enjoyed even more memorable moments as an advertising jingle writer, most notably composing Alka-Seltzer's immortal "Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz" theme. Born in Albany, NY, on July 25, 1943, Dawes co-founded the Cyrkle while a student at Lafayette College in Easton, PA. Originally dubbed the Rhondells, the group (which also included singer/guitarist Don Danneman, keyboardist Earl Pickens, and drummer Marty Fried) emerged as a fraternity circuit favorite, and while playing a Labor Day 1965 gig in Atlantic City captured the attention of New York City attorney Nathan Weiss, who recommended them to his business partner, famed Beatles manager Brian Epstein. No less than John Lennon suggested the name "the Cyrkle," and in mid-1966 the group opened for the Fab Four on its final U.S. tour. Co-written by Paul Simon and Bruce Woodley, "Red Rubber Ball" climbed to number two on the Billboard pop charts in 1966. The follow-up, "Turn Down Day," also cracked the Top 20, but subsequent singles fared poorly and in early 1968 the Cyrkle split. Dawes and Danneman both pursued careers in advertising, each heading his own Madison Avenue firm. In addition to Alka-Seltzer, he wrote jingles for 7Up, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, L'eggs, and American Airlines, and in the early '70s briefly returned to pop music, producing boogie rock unit Foghat. In 1994, Dawes and wife Ginny Redington collaborated on Talk of the Town, a stage musical inspired by the members of the legendary Algonquin Round Table. Dawes died October 13, 2007, following complications from heart surgery; he was 64. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide