The Rabbis' Sons
Encyclopedia
The Rabbis' Sons is a Jewish music
group that released most of its albums between 1967 and 1974. It consisted of Rabbis Baruch Chait
(main composer, guitar), Label Sharfman (vocals), Itzy Weinberger (vocals), Michael Zheutlin (vocals, composer, guitar, piano, other instruments) and other artists. The group got its name because Chait, Sharfman and Weinberger were all sons of rabbis.
Their musical style was influenced by Chassidic music
and American folk music
and by the music of Shlomo Carlebach
. Distinctive features of their sound were the presence of three-part harmonies and acoustic guitar playing in many of their songs. Lyrics were typically in Hebrew and derived from sections of zemiros, hallel and tefila. The music was composed primarily by Baruch Chait with some compositions by Michael Zheutlin and others.
. They met Label Sharfman at Camp Morasha. The three of them enrolled at Yeshiva University
and honed their singing talents there. In November 1966, Baruch Chait, a student of the Chofetz Chaim yeshiva, heard the three in a performance at Yeshiva University. He sent them demo tapes containing some of his original compositions and asked them to record the songs. Eventually, in early 1967, the four of them created The Rabbis’ Sons and recorded their first album. One of their highlights of that year was to be invited to perform at the Salute to Israel – Rheingold Music Festival on July 2 in New York City's Central Park. It was a rally celebrating Israel's victory in the Six Day War.
The Rabbis' Sons released four albums in their heyday (see Discography). All four of the primary members were present on the first two albums (Chait to a lesser degree on the second album). Only Chait and Zheutlin were present on the third album and Weinberger rejoined the group for the fourth album. Among their most famous songs were Rabos Machshovos, Mi Ho-ish, Hal'lu, Tov Lehodos and Harachaman.
A compilation album was released in 1977.
Contemporary Jewish religious music
For the purposes of this article, “contemporary” refers to the period from 1967 to the present day, “Jewish” refers to the various streams and traits of Judaism practiced. Many Orthodox Jews use the term “religious” to refer to a strict adherence to Jewish law...
group that released most of its albums between 1967 and 1974. It consisted of Rabbis Baruch Chait
Baruch Chait
Baruch Chait is an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi and musician composer. He is also the Rosh Yeshiva of the Israeli high-school Maarava Machon Rubin. He is the son of the Rabbi Moshe Chait, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivath Chafetz Chaim of Jerusalem, and a student of the Rabbi Henoch Leibowitz, former Rosh...
(main composer, guitar), Label Sharfman (vocals), Itzy Weinberger (vocals), Michael Zheutlin (vocals, composer, guitar, piano, other instruments) and other artists. The group got its name because Chait, Sharfman and Weinberger were all sons of rabbis.
Their musical style was influenced by Chassidic music
Nigun
A nigun or niggun is a form of Jewish religious song or tune sung by groups. It is vocal music, often with repetitive sounds such as "bim-bim-bam" or "ai-ai-ai!" instead of formal lyrics. Sometimes, Bible verses or quotes from other classical Jewish texts are sung repetitively to form a nigun...
and American folk music
American folk music
American folk music is a musical term that encompasses numerous genres, many of which are known as traditional music or roots music. Roots music is a broad category of music including bluegrass, country music, gospel, old time music, jug bands, Appalachian folk, blues, Cajun and Native American...
and by the music of Shlomo Carlebach
Shlomo Carlebach
Shlomo Carlebach , known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was a Jewish rabbi, religious teacher, composer, and singer who was known as "The Singing Rabbi" during his lifetime...
. Distinctive features of their sound were the presence of three-part harmonies and acoustic guitar playing in many of their songs. Lyrics were typically in Hebrew and derived from sections of zemiros, hallel and tefila. The music was composed primarily by Baruch Chait with some compositions by Michael Zheutlin and others.
History
Itzy Weinberger and Michael Zheutlin were friends from their high school days at the Rabbi Jacob Joseph YeshivaRabbi Jacob Joseph School
The Rabbi Jacob Joseph School is an Orthodox Jewish day school located in Staten Island, New York that serves students from nursery through twelfth grade. The school was founded in 1903 and named in honor of Rabbi Jacob Joseph, chief rabbi of New York City's Association of American Orthodox Hebrew...
. They met Label Sharfman at Camp Morasha. The three of them enrolled at Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
and honed their singing talents there. In November 1966, Baruch Chait, a student of the Chofetz Chaim yeshiva, heard the three in a performance at Yeshiva University. He sent them demo tapes containing some of his original compositions and asked them to record the songs. Eventually, in early 1967, the four of them created The Rabbis’ Sons and recorded their first album. One of their highlights of that year was to be invited to perform at the Salute to Israel – Rheingold Music Festival on July 2 in New York City's Central Park. It was a rally celebrating Israel's victory in the Six Day War.
The Rabbis' Sons released four albums in their heyday (see Discography). All four of the primary members were present on the first two albums (Chait to a lesser degree on the second album). Only Chait and Zheutlin were present on the third album and Weinberger rejoined the group for the fourth album. Among their most famous songs were Rabos Machshovos, Mi Ho-ish, Hal'lu, Tov Lehodos and Harachaman.
A compilation album was released in 1977.
Aftermath
Baruch Chait would later form Kol Salonika and Label Sharfman would later form D'veykus. Itzy Weinberger also contributed vocals to some D'veykus songs. Additionally, D'veykus has recorded some tunes that were composed by Chait and by Zheutlin.Reunion
In 1991, all four of the original Rabbis' Sons reunited to perform a charity concert in Carnegie Hall for the Shorashim organization. In 1996, they released an album with all new material. In 2007 (after the passing of Michael Zheutlin in 2002), it was thought that The Rabbis' Sons would release another album but this has yet to come about.Discography
| Date | Title | Format | Label | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1967 | Hal'lu | LP | Fran Record Co., Emes Record Co. | Baruch Chait, Barry Septimus |
| August 1968 | To Life | LP | Emes Record Co. | Itzy Weinberger, Baruch Chait |
| June 1970 | Shalom | LP | Emes Record Co. | |
| 1974 | The Rabbis Sing | LP | Emet Record Co. | |
| 1977 | Greatest Hits | LP, Cassette (later on CD) | Emes Record Co. | |
| 1996 | Kivinu | Cassette, CD | Perach Records | Yitz Grossman |
External links
- Hebrew Wikipedia article on The Rabbis' Sons