Tom Bahler

Tom Bahler was a fraternity brother of mine at USC, two years ahead of me. It did not take long for me to realize that Tom was a musical genius. Even back then, he had already written two or three fun songs for the fraternity.

Each spring, our fraternity took part in Songfest at the Hollywood Bowl. Tom wrote and arranged our performances. We always paired with a sorority, and there were usually thirty or forty voices onstage. Under Tom's direction, those performances felt bigger than college entertainment. They felt professional.

After graduation, Tom began working in Hollywood as a backup singer with his brother John. Together they formed The Love Generation and recorded three albums, though commercial success largely eluded them. Still, they were in the middle of the music business, singing backup in studios for acts like The Partridge Family.

Then Ford Motor Company hired them to form a group and create a song to promote its 1969 models. They performed at major events, including halftime at the collegiate championship game, and appeared in Ford commercials. At the same time, Tom was writing jingles and pop songs. One of them, "Julie, Julie, Julie, Do Ya Love Me", recorded by Bobby Sherman, climbed to No. 5 on the Billboard charts.

I was in awe.

Until then, I had never really understood how songs were written, but Tom opened that world to me. He invited me to sit in on recording sessions at studios in Hollywood. His favorite was TTG at Sunset and Highland, and I spent many evenings in the booth, watching the mystery of recording unfold.

Not long after I graduated with a business degree, I realized I was unhappy in my job. I asked Tom if he would introduce me to Ami Hadani, the owner of TTG. When I met Ami, he told me Tom had spoken well of me. There were no openings at the time, he said, but he would keep me in mind.

Tom kept moving forward. He continued to write hit songs and for a time became the artistic director of Radio City Music Hall in New York. He also began working with Quincy Jones, and among his credits was serving as associate producer on "We Are the World."

At last, Ami called, and I was hired as an assistant recording engineer.

Some of my favorite sessions were the ones where Tom came in to record background vocals for an artist. By then, he had gone on to write "Living in a House Divided" for Cher and "She's Out of My Life" for Michael Jackson.

Over the years, Tom and I stayed in touch. More than once, he offered advice on my own songs, and I never stopped valuing his musical instincts.

Before he passed away in March 2026, I invited Tom to speak to my Film Appreciation Group in San Luis Obispo about music in movies. He curated a series of films scored by Ennio Morricone and attended each showing, speaking about one of his favorite composers, who, like Tom, had begun as a trumpet player.