Posted on Wed, Sep. 17, 2003

BOOKS
Going behind the scenes with Jewish rockers
'Stars of David' is a five-year quest seeking interviews with 'members of the tribe,' including David Lee Roth and Bob Dylan.
BY RICHARD PACHTER
rpachter@herald.com

Scott R. Benarde laughs when asked why a non-Jew would care about his 416-page tome, Stars of David: Rock 'n' Roll's Jewish Stories (Brandeis University Press, $29.95).

''If you're a fan of any of the musicians in the book, you'll want to know the stories behind the songs; and how an artist's life defined their art,'' he said via phone from his Delray Beach home. ``It's not about how Jewish they are or not, and there's no preaching or proselytizing.''

''They'' include David Lee Roth, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Randy Newman, Don Was, Phoebe Snow, Leslie West and a number of other famous -- and lesser known -- singers, songwriters and performers, ranging from the early days of rock 'n' roll through the present.

The idea for the book came to Benarde, a former pop-music critic for The South Florida Sun-Sentinel and The Palm Beach Post, when his nephew accompanied him backstage on an assignment to interview Roth in 1986. The nephew mentioned that he was preparing for his Bar Mitzvah and the Van Halen front man revealed that he began singing when he, too, studied for his Bar Mitzvah.

Benarde wondered how many other Jewish rockers there were and what, if any, influence their religion and culture had in their music. ''We're only about 2 percent of the world's population,'' Benarde said. ``Despite a history of enduring persecution and repression, we still contribute to art, science -- all aspects of life -- in a positive way.''

His book, Stars of David, is the product of a five-year quest, seeking interviews with ''members of the tribe.'' It wasn't easy.

''I had great cooperation from some artists and their managers, but others, unfortunately, weren't as forthcoming,'' Benarde said.

He wonders if Paul Simon, for example, knew that he'd been trying to reach him, or if Benarde's numerous requests weren't conveyed by his representatives. Ditto with Carole King. Other rockers were reluctant to discuss their heritage, despite Benarde's insistence that he had no plans to judge them, or quantify their faith.

But Benarde details Bob Dylan's unique approach to Judaism, which included a stop at a West Palm Beach synagogue on Yom Kippur during his 1995 tour. The composers of Elvis Presley's Hound Dog, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, David Bowie's pianist Mike Garson, Procol Harum lyricist Keith Reid, Janis Ian, Lisa Loeb, members of Country Joe and the Fish, the Blues Project, Bon Jovi, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Phish, Yes, 10cc and others have great stories to tell.

''I wrote Stars of David for Jews and non-Jews alike. It illustrates the never-before-told ways Jewish morals, ethics, custom, ritual and history have influenced, and still influence, many prominent singers, songwriters and musicians -- and the music they've been making for everyone,'' he says. ``Our culture wouldn't be the same without them.''