Craig Taubman: Mixing Jewish themes and rock music.

Hebrew's
Hottest Heartthrob

Craig Taubman, who will perform here
Sunday, has young and old swooning
at the sounds of his Hebrew melodies.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM

Assistant Editor

I

his is no ordinary
Hebrew music. None
of that ubiquitous
"Hava Nagila" stuff.
No Hebrew lyrics set
to Peter, Paul and Mary
tunes. No slow, melancholy
melodies from the Old
Country.
"It's hip music, as hip as
Jewish music can be," says
performer Craig Taubman of
his tunes, which range from
songs about Jewish identity
to new melodies set to an-
cient Hebrew lyrics.
Mr. Taubman will perform
his blend of modern rock
music with lyrics based on
traditional Jewish values
and ideas in concert Sept. 9
at the Maple-Drake Jewish
Community Center. He is
the star of the free Apples
and Honey family program,
12:30-3:30 p.m., which
ushers in the High Holiday
season.
Mr. Taubman, 32, was
born in Millington, Tenn.,
and raised in Los Angeles.
From the time he was a boy
he loved music, and would
spend his evenings writing
melodies to prayers from the
Hebrew liturgy.

His parents encouraged
his song writing, as did ad-
ministrators at Los Angeles
Hebrew High, which Mr.
Taubman attended. Im-
pressed by Mr. Taubman's
abilities (though he could
barely read music), school of-
ficials gave their student his
first big break when they
commissioned him to make a
record.
The album, produced when
Mr. Taubman was 18, set
Jewish themes to rock
music. It sold 5,000 copies.
In the world of Jewish
music, "that's double gold,"
he said.

Since then, Mr. Taubman
has produced numerous
children's and Hebrew
records for clients that in-
clude Disney Educational
Productions and the Nation-
al Conference of Christians
and Jews. He is the leader of
his own four-man band,
Craig and Co., which has
performed in concerts
worldwide.

or a Jewish theme, compos-
ing "in a flash," he said. "I
can be sitting on the plane or
gardening or riding a bike —
you never know where it will
happen. I'll get the melody
and the lyrics and then
comes the real work.
"For at least a month I'll
fine-tune the song and then
perform it with the band and
in concert. There are some
songs I've been working on
for 10 years."
Mr. Taubman, who holds
degrees in history and Jew-
ish philosophy, studied at
the University of California,
the University of Judaism
(the West Coast branch of
the Jewish Theological
Seminary) and California
State University. He also
spent two years at the Heb-
rew University in
Jerusalem, where he per-
formed in concert for Prime
Minister Menachem Begin
and the U.S. Ambassador to
Israel. He returned "because
I got homesick."

Though his stature in the
music world has changed,
Mr. Taubman's approach to
writing songs has not.
Though he often writes his
own lyrics today, he still
works with Hebrew liturgy

Today, home means his
wife, Louise, and young son
Noah and daughter Abby,
who inspired Mr. Taubman's
decision three years ago to
branch out to children's
music. He has since produc-

ed four children's albums
and is negotiating an album
with a major record com-
pany.
Louise Taubman also has
inspired some of her
husband's music; for their
wedding ceremony, he wrote
an interpretation of a
biblical verse about what it
means for a man to find a
wife.
"I love taking a text that's
thousands of years old and
putting it in a modern con-
text and making it accessi-
ble," Mr. Taubman said.

As with his Jewish music,
the important thing about
his children's songs is that
they reflect the everyday
dreams or agony or hopes of
his audience, Mr. Taubman
said.
Among his song topics are
why parents should re-
member to use "please" and
"thank you," family car
trips and children's concerns
with the birth of a new
brother or sister.
After hearing his concerts,
children sometimes ap-
proach Mr. Taubman and
tell him, "You sang about
someone special. My sister is
special, too. She's mentally
retarded."

Mr. Taubman said he is
grateful for such reactions.
He strives in his concerts to
rouse children, their parents
and their grandparents, he
said.
Though now a seasoned
professional, Mr. Taubman
does not take his success for
granted. Three years ago he
finally felt confident enough
to call himself successful.
"I realized I had it all — a
kid, a wife, my career," he
said. "And I found I literally
had to tap myself and say,
`You're actually doing
this.' "
Among Mr. Taubman's
upcoming projects are
writing a series of song
books called Gibson Kids for
Gibson guitars and compos-
ing more tunes for Disney
Educational Productions,
where he and his band fre-
quently perform for the
Disney Channel.
But he has no greater
dreams of success, no serious
thoughts of becoming the
next Bruce Springsteen.
"I always try to remember
something from Pirke Avot
(The Sayings of the
Fathers)," he said. "It says:
`Who is rich? He who is hap-
py with his lot. "

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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