Paul Vance obit

Paul Vance, songwriter and horse owner, dies at 92

 

He was not on the list.

Paul Vance (who was born Joseph Paul Florio on Nov. 4, 1929), a world-renowned American songwriter, record producer and Standardbred harness racing owner, passed away Sunday, May 30 at the age of 92.

He passed away with his daughter, Paula Vance at his side.

Vance, along with co-writer Lee Pockriss wrote hundreds of songs.

His most successful songs were Catch A Falling Star, Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini and Tracy. He wrote more than 300 songs during his long career.

As a harness racing owner, the United States Trotting Association lists Vance as owning or leasing 167 horses during his career. And he was reported breeding 129 mares during that time period.

The best horse Vance owned was the top pacer Secret Service, a 27-time winner of $454,000 with a race record time trial at The Meadowlands in 1:53.2 back in 1981. Secret Service was trained by Vance’s son Joseph Vance. His son ran the stable for his father’s horses.

The last horse that Vance owned in partnership with Tom Haughton was Cathy’s Princess T, 5, 1:53.1F $123,875, who sadly was killed in the barn fire at Olympia Training Center (formerly South Florida Trotting Center) in Boynton Beach, FL on March 16, 2016.

In a quote from her Facebook page on Tuesday, daughter Paula Vance said;

“As sad as I am today, I have peace in knowing that in my Dads last days and weeks of his life, he asked God to forgive him and said the sinners prayer with me more then once . His light went out yesterday but when I look up at the stars at night I will always remember to Catch a falling star and put it in my pocket and never let it fade away! RIP now Daddy, I know you and mommy are dancing to your songs in heaven right now with all of our loved ones in a circle around the 2 of you clapping as you dance the Lindy in each other’s arms forever.”

It has been reported that the service will be private.

Vance co-wrote (with Lee Pockriss) such hits as "Catch a Falling Star," recorded in 1957 by Perry Como, which topped Billboard's "Most Played By Jockeys" chart and became one of Como's signature songs, and "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," recorded in 1960 by Brian Hyland, which rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Vance got the idea for "Itsy Bitsy Bikini" because his daughter was too shy to wear a bikini in public. The song was a Top 10 hit in other countries around the world. In 1959, Vance and Pockriss released a single for Columbia Records as 'Lee and Paul,' a novelty tune called "The Chick." Vance and Pockriss also provided English lyrics for the song "Calcutta". "What Will Mary Say", a Top 10 hit for the singer Johnny Mathis in 1963, was written by Vance with Eddie Snyder.

In 1964, Vance and Pockriss wrote a song entitled "Leader Of The Laundromat," a spoof of the then-popular "Leader of the Pack" by the Shangri-Las, and Vance produced a recording of the track by a trio consisting of Ron Dante, Tommy Wynn, and Vance's nephew Danny Jordan. The record was released under the name the Detergents, and its success led to an album, The Many Faces Of The Detergents, which Vance produced and for which he, along with Pockriss, penned all the songs. The release of "Leader of the Laundromat" earned a lawsuit against the group by "Leader Of The Pack" composers Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and George "Shadow" Morton. Dante would later work alongside Barry as lead vocalist for the Archies.

In 1965, Vance and Pockriss wrote "What's Going On in the Barn," which Billy Thornhill recorded for Wand Records as the B-side to his recording of "The Key," written by Pockriss and Hal Hackady. The following year, Vance had a minor hit as a singer when his recording of "Dommage, Dommage (Too Bad, Too Bad)", intended as a demo, was released by Scepter Records.

In 1969, Vance teamed up with Dante after the latter agreed to record a demo of the new Vance/Pockriss composition, "Tracy." Dante provided all the voices on the recording, both leads and backgrounds, and the single was released under the name The Cuff Links. Its success prompted Vance to bring Dante back into the recording studio to record an entire album's worth of songs, and the resultant LP, also entitled Tracy, was rush-released to capitalize on the popularity of the single. As with The Detergents' album, Vance produced the recording sessions and co-wrote all of the songs with Pockriss.

In 1972, Vance and Pockriss penned "Playground In My Mind," which was recorded by Clint Holmes, and became a 1973 #2 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it remained for 23 weeks. The single was awarded gold record status on July 3, 1973. Vance's son, Philip, sang on the refrain on the recording along with Holmes. In 1974, Vance discovered singer/songwriter Joseph Nicoletti, later a successful singer of commercial jingles, and recorded "Changing Colors" with Nicoletti on RCA Records. Vance co-wrote and produced the song "Run Joey Run" for David Geddes in 1975; the song reached the top 5 on the Billboard charts that year. The female vocals on the song were provided by Vance's daughter Paula, who had earlier inspired "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini."

The songwriting duo also wrote the ballad, "I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do," first recorded by Astrud Gilberto and covered by Natalie Cole, Esther Phillips, and Dee Dee Warwick.

Through the years, Vance continued to produce various recording artists, including Kathy Keates, who recorded, among other songs on the RCA Records label, the hit single "I Think About You" with Al Martino.

In October 2009, Vance was nominated for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.