~ Celebrating Jewish History Month in Malden ~ Ed Ames, a legendary singer and actor – Part 4

By Inna Babitskaya

Ed as a soloist singer: hits that were played by heart

In 1957, being a member of the Ames Brothers, he, as “Eddie Ames,” recorded the single “The Bean Song (Which Way to Boston?).”

During the “Daniel Boone” TV show, Ames continued to sing and released such hits as “Try to Remember” (his signature song), “My Cup Runneth Over” (a pop and adult contemporary hit), “Apologize” and “Who Will Answer?” (Pop Top Twenty). Among his adult contemporary hits are “When the Snow is on the Roses,” “Time, Time,” “Pete Raids” and “Timeless Love.” Ames’ incredible performance of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” became a regular radio gift to the audience during the Christmas season.

He frequently performed across the country, including concerts with famous conductor Leopold Stokowski, and released over 20 solo albums. On the 2007 PBS special “My Music: The Fifties,” Ed Ames once again charmed the audience with his beautiful voice and great performance. While telling the audience about his artistic life, he said, with a somewhat nostalgic note, “I’ve been very blessed to have had an exciting career. I had a lot of hit records and did a lot of concerts. But it all began long ago.”

Ed Ames, a lifelong student

Ed began his singing career as a student at Boston Latin School, so as he acknowledges, he had to leave “high school in Boston to go into show business with my brothers when I was 17.”

He thought that his self-education in music and literature was not enough: “I got my diploma later through night school, and at that time I made a promise to myself that someday I would go on to college and get my degree.”

In 1970, he became a student at UCLA. He studied stage direction and playwriting, with a minor in film direction and writing. As a student, Ames called himself “an open slate, waiting to be written upon,” adding that he didn’t “want to impose my experience on them [professors].” In 1975, he received a BA in theater and cinema, graduating with high honors. According to Ed, his college experience was invaluable to him: “By being on the same level with other students, I’ve had an insight into the cultural change that few others of my generation have been afforded.”

Ames loved to learn, explaining that “there are so many things that I’m interested in that I never get bored. Learning is a lifelong process; no one ever completes it, and no one ever should.”

Ed Ames’ role as a humanist, social activist and ecologist

Ed Ames was always a multidimensional person. Besides his love for singing and art, he was also an avid ecologist. As he said in 1971, “I’ve been an ecology freak for a long time—before it was even fashionable.” He also called himself “an outdoor nut—a nature lover, a conservationist,” adding that he hated it “when glass and brick eat up grass and woods.”

Though he called himself a secular Jew, he always felt a close connection with the Jewish community and never forgot about his roots. Ed recalled how he “had to learn Yiddish to speak to my grandmother, whom I visited once a week. At the time, I thought she felt it was a duty call on my part, but just before she died, she gave me a beautiful prayer book, and I realized how much my visits really meant to her. I have that book to this day and often open it, read a passage, and remember my grandmother.”

Remembering his family struggle with poverty, he considered it his moral responsibility to help people. For more than 15 years, he has performed at the annual charity benefit for the homeless at the Chabad House in Los Angeles.

On May 18, 2008, Ed Ames was named a Hero of Conscience by the American Freedom Alliance.

Ed Ames’ life story – the embodiment of the American dream

  The story of Ed Ames’ amazing career shows how a talented and hardworking person can achieve great success. His fame did not fade, and his charming baritone, nearly until his last years, sounded as fresh and youthful as decades ago. In his voice, we can hear joy and sadness, love and drama, romantic notes and courageous motives. He always put deep feelings into songs and acting, creating scenes where captivating performances and real life were closely intertwined.

  (Inna Babitskaya is a Malden historian; a member of the Malden Historical Commission and author of historical books “From Maldon to Malden”, “Time of Converse” & “Fellsmere Park – Emerald of Malden.”)