My friend Tommy LiPuma got my son Leo into your newsletter and Leo sent me the Wendy piece — I can’t tell you how many people are discovering my old Blue Thumb material and Arista material and god knows even the old Capitol material these days. A day doesn’t go by without an email (anybody can figure out I’m at bensidran.com) from an old fan ("you changed my life"…."your music pulled me through") or a new one. I’m finally getting paid on my old songs — mechanicals anyway; the majors still won’t admit we were fucked by the deals we made and there is no way we will ever get royalties for those records; occasionally I get statements from Sony BMG that indicate I am deeper in debt than last time — but my new stuff is actually making a nice taste. I couldn’t be happier and I couldn’t agree with you more. It’s a new day and the artists won. I continue writing and recording and putting it up on itunes and people keep finding it.

I remember a meeting with Clive Davis back in ’76; the gist of it was that I didn’t want to be famous bad enough so there wasn’t anything he could do for me. (That was when his motto was "Arista — where careers are launched.") He was right of course. I wanted to make a living; he wanted to make a killing. I’ve gone on to a good life. As the Jews say, Dayenu.

Best,

Ben Sidran