Michael Rashkow

Michael Rashkow (July 18, 1941 - January 23, 2013) was an American songwriter and record producer. He wrote "Mary in the Morning" with Johnny Cymbal. It was recorded by Elvis Presley, Glen Campbell, Al Martino, Dire Straits's Guy Fletcher, and many other artists. He formed Pineywood Productions with Ellie Greenwich in the late 1960s. Among the artists they wrote for and produced were Dusty Springfield,The Daily News, The Definitive Rock Chorale, The Fuzzy Bunnies,The Whatnauts and The Other Voices as well as Ellie Greenwich. Their publishing arm, Pineywood Music, published their own material and songs by other writers including Steve Tudanger and Paul Levinson, a member of The Other Voices.

Michael Rashkow was born July 18, 1941, in New York City. As a child and young man, he grew up in New York and Florida, and he served in the U.S. Air Force as a psychiatric medic.

Rashkow came to the music business without any background or credentials in the industry, having been a golf professional and a golf equipment manufacturer's rep from 1960 through 1965. His entree was via the recording studio and he became a recording engineer who worked at Bell Sound, Studio 76, Sounds On Broadway, National Recording and Broadway Recording. His first songwriting partner was Mikie Harris, a noted NYC background singer of the 1960s who was later assistant to John Hammond.

Rashkow and Harris married in 1966 and had two children, Randy and Roger (Duke). Though signed as staff writers to Pamco Music, the BMI wing of ABC-Paramount Records, they were not successful as a writing team.

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