Tribute to Bobby Caldwell, featuring Sheldon Zoldan

In this tribute, you'll learn about the anomalies in the life of singer-songwriter Bobby Caldwell, who had a hit with "What You Won't Do for Love."

Longtime writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan wrote this tribute, which is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.

 Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. All of those stories and these tributes include links to the featured songs. Here, you can link to “What You Won't Do for Love" on YouTube.

To get on the Song of the Day subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to the show!

Available on Apple, Spotify, Audible and in other directories, and on YouTube.

Transcript

Kate:
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Hello, and welcome to Everyday Creation,

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a show about living our purpose and lifting

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our vibes for ourselves and the world.

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I'm Kate Jones, here with a tribute to

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Bobby Caldwell,

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whose signature song was "What You Won't Do

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for Love."

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This is one of 44 short yet illuminating

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episodes

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about significant figures in the music industry who

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passed away in 2023.

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My guest Sheldon Zoldan,

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a longtime writer and newspaper editor,

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wrote these tributes and recorded them. Here's what

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he says about Caldwell, who died on March

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14th last year.

Sheldon:
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Bobby Caldwell was an anomaly.

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He was worshiped in Japan though he wasn't

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Japanese.

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He sounded Black

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even though he was white.

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He had a reaction to an everyday antibiotic

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that eventually killed him.

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Caldwell died March 14th in New Jersey

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after suffering for six years from a bad

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reaction

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to levofloxacin.

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Caldwell was only 17 when he started writing

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songs and playing in bands.

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He had his most success as a solo

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artist.

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He recorded his first album,

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"Bobby Caldwell," in 1978

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for a record company that mostly

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released music by African Americans.

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The company kept Caldwell's face off the album

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because it didn't want people to know he

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was white.

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Fans were surprised when they saw him in

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concert.

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Our Song of the Day, "What You Won't

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Do for Love,"

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originally wasn't on the album

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but his manager thought it was lacking a

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hit tune.

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Caldwell wrote the song with

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Alfons Kettner.

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It became his signature song and his only

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song to make it into Billboard's Top 40,

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peaking at number 9.

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Nobody was sure why he was so popular

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in Japan.

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Caldwell

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toured there often.

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Caldwell's world began falling apart just before he

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was scheduled to go to Japan.

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He went to an urgent care in January

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of 2017

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because he had a runny nose and sore

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throat.

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He took levofloxacin

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the doctor prescribed.

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He couldn't walk by the seventh day. He

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lost feeling in his fingers and could barely

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play the piano or guitar.

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The drug had caused nerve damage.

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He was able to fight through the pain

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and continued touring until the pandemic

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canceled all concerts. He would never play on

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stage again.

Kate:
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This is Kate again. Sheldon also writes Song

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of the Day, a music-related story sent

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daily to an email list of subscribers.

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All of those stories and these tributes

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include links to the featured songs.

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In this episode's description,

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you can link to "What You Won't Do

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for Love" on YouTube as well as get

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information

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on how to join Sheldon's

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subscriber list.

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If you enjoyed this tribute, please check out

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the next one about Clarence

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"Fuzzy" Haskins,

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an original member of the influential

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musical collective Parliament-Funkadelic.

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And please share the tributes with anyone who

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might appreciate

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these well-researched glimpses

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into the lives of the people who created

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some of the music we love.

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Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation.