Biography
Harriet Schock gained recognition chiefly as the writer of Helen Reddy's 1975 hit single "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady." Across a span of nearly thirty years she issued multiple albums that earned strong critical notice without reaching bestseller status. She also taught songwriting in private sessions and at USC. Published in 1999 by Blue Dolphin Press, her book "Becoming Remarkable: For Songwriters and Those Who Love Songs" functions as a standard reference for aspiring musicians.
Born in Texas, Schock was urged to study piano while still young. Her father had performed as a musician before turning to medicine and later gaining fame as a dermatologist. In 1973, after settling in Los Angeles and resigning from an advertising position, she joined Colgems-EMI as a staff writer. A recording agreement with Columbia dissolved at once, so she signed instead with 20th Century Records, a 20th Century Fox subsidiary. Her debut album Hollywood Town appeared in 1974; the following year Reddy advanced "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady," already featured on that record, to the number eight spot.
Schock completed two further albums for 20th Century Fox, She's Low Clouds in 1974 and You Don't Know What You're in For in 1976, while additional artists including Vicki Carr, Johnny Mathis, and Lee Greenwood began covering her material. Cashbox twice named her Best New Female Artist. During the 1980s she ceased recording yet secured a writing contract with Jobete through Berry Gordy, which produced songs for Roberta Flack and yielded another major composition on the scale of "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady," titled "First Time on a Ferris Wheel." Although it never became a hit single, recordings by Smokey Robinson, Carl Anderson, Gloria Loring, and Nancy Wilson elevated it to near-standard status.
Schock resumed recording in the 1990s with American Romance. Nik Venet, whose earlier work had helped launch the Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Lou Rawls, Jim Croce, and Dory Previn, produced the project; Schock shared both a personal and professional bond with him that continued until his death in 1998. The next year she issued her fifth album Rosebud, again produced by Venet, together with her first book "Becoming Remarkable." Her live performances later received a Dramalog Award, and she supplied songs for films such as "The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking." Through her website www.harrietschock.com she offers correspondence courses in songwriting while maintaining a schedule of tours that encompass both her own shows and popular songwriting seminars.
Born in Texas, Schock was urged to study piano while still young. Her father had performed as a musician before turning to medicine and later gaining fame as a dermatologist. In 1973, after settling in Los Angeles and resigning from an advertising position, she joined Colgems-EMI as a staff writer. A recording agreement with Columbia dissolved at once, so she signed instead with 20th Century Records, a 20th Century Fox subsidiary. Her debut album Hollywood Town appeared in 1974; the following year Reddy advanced "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady," already featured on that record, to the number eight spot.
Schock completed two further albums for 20th Century Fox, She's Low Clouds in 1974 and You Don't Know What You're in For in 1976, while additional artists including Vicki Carr, Johnny Mathis, and Lee Greenwood began covering her material. Cashbox twice named her Best New Female Artist. During the 1980s she ceased recording yet secured a writing contract with Jobete through Berry Gordy, which produced songs for Roberta Flack and yielded another major composition on the scale of "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady," titled "First Time on a Ferris Wheel." Although it never became a hit single, recordings by Smokey Robinson, Carl Anderson, Gloria Loring, and Nancy Wilson elevated it to near-standard status.
Schock resumed recording in the 1990s with American Romance. Nik Venet, whose earlier work had helped launch the Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Lou Rawls, Jim Croce, and Dory Previn, produced the project; Schock shared both a personal and professional bond with him that continued until his death in 1998. The next year she issued her fifth album Rosebud, again produced by Venet, together with her first book "Becoming Remarkable." Her live performances later received a Dramalog Award, and she supplied songs for films such as "The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking." Through her website www.harrietschock.com she offers correspondence courses in songwriting while maintaining a schedule of tours that encompass both her own shows and popular songwriting seminars.
Albums
