Tributes
Judithe’s Story
In June 1987 I had been without a band since November 1986 after I called a King Kobra band meeting at Alan Miller’s house in the West Hollywood Hills. The reason I called the meeting was to tell them I was no longer going to continue with them as their lead singer. In my opinion the musical direction the band was pursuing was no longer in my best interest or the best interest of the band. It was a difficult time in my life. In many ways it felt like I had fallen to the wayside. But looking back now I obviously put myself right where I needed to be. By the time I got back from Christmas vacation with my family in Michigan, voids I had created in my life were already starting to fill as nature abhors a vacuum. A guy from Denver, Colorado had called and wanted to hire me to sing in his band Arrival. That’s also where I met my second wife. As I say my life was difficult and time on my day job as a courier dragged on driving over 2-3 hundred miles a day in Los Angeles. One day in June I got a phone call from a lady named Judithe Randall. She explained she had been at a party recently where she had met my manager in King Kobra. He had recommended me and gave her my phone number. She was looking for a new male vocalist to sing on she and her daughter Robin’s song demos they had written. We arranged a time for I to come to their house in the Hollywood hills on Sunday afternoon to meet and give them an opportunity to hear me sing. Judithe was older than I. Robin is more close to my age so we had that in common. It was a comfortable meeting and after I had left I knew I would be seeing much more of them soon. It has been said, life is strange when you’re a stranger and although I was a complete stranger to them, they made me feel welcome and a part of their family immediately. But I am not an anomaly, they did that with all of their friends as I witnessed at their annual Christmas parties. And they had many friends. Over the years I have dealt with many of my issues lumped upon me at birth growing up in the sticks in Flint, Michigan. Like judging a book by its cover. I’m tattling on myself a bit here but who the hell cares! I have been a bigot asshole at times in my life, maybe not as rude and offensive as some but I’ve done my part. I suppose that goes along with my sometimes Narcissistic tendencies given to me by my father and friends. Judithe was a shocking figure of a woman to me when we first met. Her appearance was similar to that of someone who was starving in Ethiopia or someplace. At around five foot seven she probably weighed only a hundred pounds. She dressed mostly in black and had black hair and wore dark eye makeup - quite vamp looking. I had never met anyone like her before. I had no idea how true that statement would be in times to come and it had nothing to do with her looks. Instead of being the dark shadowy vampire like person I thought she’d be, she instead proved each day by her actions of daily living to be a shining Angel direct from heaven proving to me that looks are deceiving and something not to be trusted in my life any longer. We live and learn don’t we? In the days to come she and Robin not only hired me to sing on all of their songs, she opened up her book and told and encouraged all of her songwriter friends to hire me for their songs as well. I always felt unworthy of this selfless act of kindness. Why would she do that for me? I had not done anything for her or Robin?? It perplexed me. I felt ashamed but I was learning to be a more giving person. Just by being in Judithe’s life, I too was becoming a better person. But that’s what she did with everybody. That is how she lived. Selflessly helping her friends and associates. I guess I knew in my heart that she was not long for this world and news of her passing after I had left the music business and moved back to Michigan, was not surprising. But knowing and anticipating does not take away the pain. Even after these many years. It is and will always be noted in the halls of record throughout time that as a direct result of meeting the Randall’s and through their actions I went on to meet the folks I formed Signal and Unruly Child with. So it is safe to say I owe basically my whole career after King Kobra to her and Robin. It is such an incredible honor for me to be a part of Robin’s latest endeavor. The creation of their incredible legacy album, “Hollyridge”named after the street their family home was on in the Hollywood hills. Thank you Judithe and Robin for the love you’ve shown me. For the memories and life’s lessons you’ve taught me. And even more for the beautiful music you have allowed me to be a part of. I thank God for you and pray he bless you always.
All my love always,
Marcie Free
xoxoxoxo
Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Musician
Judithe was an incredible woman who epitomized the expression “Still Waters Run Deep”. She was a private person but was extremely warm, loving and had a beautifully expressive smile that illuminated her face.
She was also the consummate artist; a great lyricist, an incredible painter, a beautiful poet and an exquisite calligrapher.
Her paintings were breathtaking. They were a tapestry of her life, loves, children and some of the many artists she loved and admired. They were so rich in their use of color and intimately detailed. You could study them for hours and continually pick up on the subtle nuances and minute details she included but that you would miss on a cursory viewing.
As we were both night-owls, I really got to know Judithe through our many late-night phone conversations throughout the years where we would talk would for hours about our lives, families, artists we loved and so much more. Often, during our calls, she would share her latest lyric that she had written and I would share lyrics from writers with her that I felt she would appreciate.
She was an incredibly intuitive, creative and sensitive woman who truly had the soul of an artist. I still miss her!
Ritch Esra
Publisher - The Music Business Registry, Former A&R, Arista Records
Judithe Randall was truly one of the most talented and prolific songwriters I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Hands down, a master at her craft. Along with Robin Randall, their trust in me helped me to reach further than my grasp in bringing their songs to life. Working with them truly changed my life by making me a stronger songwriter, a more creative producer, but mostly, a better person. The memories I have of our times together will forever live on in my heart and in song.
Guy Marshall
Songwriter, Producer, Musician
Judithe Randall was my “Hollywood Mom”.
Robin Randall - my fast forever friend and partner.
The Randall/Schwartz ladies go down as some of the most incredible souls I have had the pleasure to share my life with. From Grandma Mimi Schwartz to Judithe to Robin - these 3 generations of sweet red-headed women hold a deep place in my heart. I am grateful for each experience. I thank them all for the love, kindness, constant self-motivation, help, brain storms, laughter, unending talents and generosity I have ever experienced in Hollywoodland!
Enjoy this collection of work…know we had a blast creating and recording it. I hope our good vibes result in making you dance and sing, laugh and cry and want to listen to it again and again.
Love & Peace,
Diana DeWitt
Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Musician
My name is Douglas Schwartz, and I am the co-creator, executive producer, & showrunner for all 300 episodes of "Baywatch" that were produced. "Baywatch" has become part of pop culture worldwide, and we hold the Guinness World Record as "The most watched television series", with "The largest audience of any television series in history!" We just celebrated our 30th anniversary on the air. "Baywatch's" extraordinary success was witnessed in a record-breaking 158 countries, in 42 different languages, airing on every continent on Earth, to an estimated global audience of 1.2 billion people weekly! It is the only television series to have over 1 billion viewers. The biggest reason for our success wasn't David Hasselhoff, Pam Anderson, and a great looking cast in bathing suits, running down the beach in slow motion. The heart of the 1-hour series is what captivated viewers worldwide, with the action and adventure of American heroes risking their own lives to save the lives of strangers, as first responders. "Baywatch" was typified by its heartwarming stories and the music that was featured in every episode of the series. In regards to "Baywatch's" musical score, every episode had 2, if not 3, music montages that were 2-3 minutes long each. These helped define the storyline, the characters, and the heartfelt emotion of each individual episode. Each montage was accompanied by a significant piece of music, and the most prolific songwriters of "Baywatch's" entire series were Songwriters Judithe and Robin Randall, who happen to be my sister and niece, respectively. They wrote more original songs for "Baywatch" than other artist in the show's history. Their extraordinary talent was featured throughout dozens of episodes, and they wrote 12 of our very best original songs that are still featured in episodes airing around the world today.
Judithe and Robin would view an episode and a montage and then create an original song to perfectly fit the storyline, enhancing the emotion and drama of each episode. When it came time recently to remaster all 300 episodes of "Baywatch" in Ultra-HD, we decided to replace the hundreds of songs in the series with newer, more contemporary material, but we did not change or replace a single one of Judithe's and Robin's songs, as they were so vital and instrumental to the storylines and emotion of each episode they were in. In fact, in addition to a select few songs by The Beach Boys, Robin's and Judithe's songs are the only original songs that were left in the series following the remastering. Robin and Judithe were by far, our best songwriters, which is why we continued to go back to them, episode after episode, to deliver extraordinary music, featured in the montages throughout the series.
Judithe Randall is no longer with us, but her daughter Robin continues to be a wonderful and prolific songwriter. She has recently put together a music anthology of all of the songs written by Judithe and Robin, over the past 3 decades. I cannot express enough how important their contribution was to the success of "Baywatch," worldwide.
One example of the power their music had was featured in an episode that I directed called "Chance of a lifetime." In that episode, one of our major female characters, "Stephanie" (played by Alexandra Paul) dies in a massive storm at sea. We had a memorial sequence saluting "Stephanie," and I asked Judithe and Robin to write a song suitable for one of the most emotionally charged moments in our entire series. They wrote a song called "Bless a Brand New Angel", which was a beautiful and powerful tribute that touched the hearts of a billion people worldwide. We know this to be a fact, as we received literally thousands of letters from all over the world wanting to know where they could buy a copy of their song. We were also contacted by the world organization, Parents of Murdered Children, that wanted to play "Bless a Brand New Angel" at every memorial and funeral for murdered children worldwide. When Princess Diana died, her family requested that "Bless a Brand New Angel" be performed at her memorial service, sung by David Hasselhoff live, along with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Another example of the power of Judithe and Robin’s original songs is a song they wrote called “The Child Inside,” for a "Baywatch" episode (of the same name), highlighting featuring 200 Special Olympic athletes that we brought to the beach for an inspirational episode, guest starring Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton. The song was so emotionally powerful and inspirational that the Special Olympics Association adopted the song and played it at every Special Olympics ceremony from that point on.
This is the type of amazing songwriting that Judithe and Robin were known for, not only throughout our "Baywatch" series, but in all the other music they wrote as well. This mother and daughter songwriting team is truly extraordinary, and I wanted to take this moment to share my endorsement and enthusiasm for their considerable talent.
Douglas Schwartz,
Baywatch Co-Creator & Executive Producer.
I dedicated my “Meet the Man” CD to Judithe Randall because without her, there would have been no career to speak of. It was Judithe who asked me to come to California to sing on some of her material. From that one visit, I was asked to join a group called “Eyes,” which led to an audition for “House of Lords.” Judithe was always there to help and support me. Of the many people that I have meet in the music business, I consider Judithe Randall to be the most important. I would also like to thank my good friend Robin Randall for writing some great songs and helping me gather the material for this CD.
James Christian
Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Musician, Producer
Judithe Randall Story
An “owl in the night” is the only way I can describe Judithe Randall. Her daughter Robin heard a happy D major riff I had been writing with fledgling lyrics of summer and sun and Judithe, writing in the midnight hours, turned it into a dark tale of love on the edge of destruction. Robin added a pounding D minor chorus, killer bridge and the resulting magic is “Slow Down The Night”.
Mark Chatwin
Songwriter, Music Teacher, Recording Studio Producer, Arranger
Aina, ....Olsen... last name for some, O'Kane for others....
Singer/song-writer from Norway that connected with Judithe and Robin Randall after recording one of their songs on my album "Living in a Boys World" back in 1987-88. I received a letter from Judithe after she heard the recording of their song and the rest is history..she was the trigger that made me move to LA......I arrived August 1989 and immediately had the pleasure to gain both Judithe and Robin as close friends for many years to come. They were truly more then just business friends as I looked upon them as my family away from home. It was always a joy to get to put voices onto their songs, and also through them I got to collaborate with many, many other amazing musicians that was in their group of friends. Robin and Judithe really made me feel like home, and so did Mimi.....(grandma and mother)
I am honored to be part of this collection of demo songs...and I hope you all will be enjoying these songs as much as I enjoyed to sing them..
All My Love.
Aina Olsen
Singer, Songwriter, Artist
Judithe Randall
In 1986 I was signed to Famous Music Publishing after procuring a Don Johnson cut on his Epic LP “HEARTBEAT”. Famous Music would pair me up with some of L.A.’s finest, and lucky for me I met Judithe Randall. Judithe was the kindest person you could ever want to work with. Her romantic, detailed descriptive lyrics were a pleasure to write melodies and put chords around. She was a very thin, slight woman who dressed like a Rock Singer or Vintage Hollywood movie star. Judithe not only co-wrote, but acted as a full on Publisher for each song, as well, by getting them heard and placed. She was a pleasure to work with. Another plus was meeting her Daughter Robin Randall who was a great musician in her own right and with our different styles, we pushed each other’s envelopes and turned out some great tunes. Judithe has left us, but her lyrics will live forever.
Tony Sciuto
Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Musician, Producer
When I first met Judithe I knew right away this was a very special person. From her inspired lyrics, to her amazing art, she was truly gifted. I have the fondest memories writing with her but most of all, its her love and creativity that is missed. I know she will be very touched by this wonderful tribute.
Curt Cuomo
Singer,Songwriter, Artist, Musician, Producer
“I always had very fond memories of working with Judithe and Robin Randall, I knew it was going to be a great song and a fun session.”
Windy Wagner
Singer, Songwriter, Vocal Contractor, Vocal Casting
Judithe was always connecting creatives with others, and had even attained covers, sync licenses for film and tv, publishing and record deals for some as well. She NEVER had her hand out for ANYTHING that she gave of herself and her passion to help others always come from a place of genuine love and respect for the gifted souls.
Thanks to the late John Carter, who was one of the most well respected A&R people at that time, for putting me in touch with Judithe and Robin and encouraged us all to write together. Eyes of Night was the first song we all wrote together and was almost immediately cut by Shari Belafonte. It gives me great pleasure to see this unreleased version of the song finally see the light of day!
I was also VERY honored to be asked to Produce, Mix and Master Robin’s hit single, Tomorrow Doesn’t Matter Tonight. What an incredible song written by Robin Randall and Steve Cristol!
Jeff Silverman
Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Musician, Producer, Music Editor
“Co-writing with Judithe Randall was a great experience for me. It was one of the first times I had co-written outside of writing with my bandmates from Night Ranger. She made it very easy for me to tap into or reach inside and create something that was real.“
Kelly Keagy
Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Musician, Producer
Best known for his work in the Band Night Ranger
“One of a kind” didn’t mean a lot to me until I met Judithe Randall. There was a sparkle in her eyes, a depth – extreme intelligence, mixed with a sense of humor and of life that transcended the heartbreak you knew was there. It came out in her smile, her artwork, and it came out most beautifully in her lyrics. The privilege of singing her words so wonderfully expressed through Robin’s music is something I never took for granted, and absolutely cherish now.
Steve Zell
SInger, Songwriter, Artist, Author
A Tribute from Jeff Law (The Last Time, If You Remember Love, Just Friends, Learn To let You Go" "Edge Of My Seat")
Judithe always gave me encouragement! She said "You don't write a lot of songs, but you always come in with something special." She only wrote lyrics and not the melody, nor music, but I always felt that she must've studied music at some point because her phrasing and the way her lines flowed were very musical. When I learned she took classical piano as a child, then that made a lot of sense to me.
I remember she always called me sometime between midnight and early morning to let me know of some deal cooking in some far off country that she'd put together.
I remember all these Birthday and Holiday parties happening at Hollyridge. We always had a lot of fun. I kinda miss that, that group energy. People would play live music. Those years over there were the best times of my life. Who knew we'd miss it, we were just living it.
What I learned from Robin & Judithe is to not be afraid to say that this is what's coming across my mind, may not mean anything, but let's say I would want to do this crazy rhythm here. If I was by myself, I don't know how many of those I would've thrown away.
I loved Judithe so very much, and miss her a lot!
~ Jeff Law
Songwriter, Musician
JUDITHE
One of life’s gifts is to be acquainted with interesting people. To say that Judithe was one of a kind is an understatement. She was at once creative, passionate, persistent, and fearless. She had a great ear for good songs, and was as appreciative of them as she was discerning. When she believed in a song, she wouldn’t let go. And as a purveyor of other people’s songs as well as her own, she was always respectful of writers and consistently treated them with fairness so rare in the music publishing industry. Even after all these years, we miss her still. May this collection of songs that have Judithe’s fingerprints on them shine a light on her legacy.
Steven Cristol
Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Musician, Producer
Steven’s Email to Robin included with Judithe’s Tribute:
I also just want to say this: how lucky I was to have written my most commercially successful song with someone who has been such a lovely person as you all these years. Though I know we’ve never been close and lots of time goes by between interactions, even when you were going through rough patches you’ve always been easy to talk to, so willing to share information, and just a generally good human being who always seems to be trying to do the right thing. There were so many jerks in the business during the seven years I was in LA, and you and Judithe were kind of an oasis in the midst of all that. With all this very appropriate focus on Judithe right now, I wanted you to know that in revisiting my appreciation of her I found myself appreciating you as well – and I suspect others are doing the same.
Steven Cristol
Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Musician, Producer
Tributes to Judithe Randall
Regarding your mom….
“When I met Judithe I was just starting to make my way as a manager. Judithe not only was an extremely talented songwriter but was a great human being. Everyone took to her because of her kind heart. She was always trying to help connect people not just for herself but to genuinely help others. A big talent and a great person. Rare to find in Hollywood.”
Arthur Spivak
Entertainment Executive, Producer and Personal Manager
“In the earlier part of my career, I had the distinct pleasure of singing songs for Judithe and Robin Randall. Each one was a gem, just like Judithe and Robin! It is rare to see a Mother and Daughter writing team and even rarer to have them be so prolific and consistent in turning out such great songs! It is an honor to be a part of such a touching tribute to Judithe Randall as much as it is to have the honor of knowing Judithe and continuing to know and cherish Robin!”
Ken Stacey
Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Musician, Vocal Instructor
“Judithe Randall was like a breath of fresh musical air…..Whenever she called, the ringtone seemed different and as soon as I heard her voice, I somehow knew she was going to present to me a great passionate song to demo. I’m so grateful for having had her in my life. She was always the same! A joyful delight!...Thanks Judithe…love and miss you”
Ronee Martin
Singer, Songwriter, Quarter-Finalist on Season 11 of “America’s Got Talent”
Judithe
She was always such a positive person to me. She was one of the first multi-talented people I met. OMG you paint picture collages and you are a songwriter.
Over the years Judithe’s family and My family have been close and in many ways there’s always been this deep connection. All this was put in motion with my meeting Judithe in the mid-eighties. Where throughout the years, we stayed in touch.
We collaborated on songs and we always wrote very interesting compositions, one of which is on this collection called “Garden of Night”.
This is a tribute to a very special and talented person. Here is an opportunity to get to know her talent.
Much Love,
Robert Tepper
SInger, Songwriter, Artist, Musician, Producer
"If you wanted a great lyric, Judithe was the person to go to. And I loved that she had the courage and chutzpah in her personality to be able to call people at all times of the day and night to get the songs recorded. I greatly admired her for that.”
Robbie Gillman
Songwriter, Musician, Musical Director, Educator
Judithe was a most exceptional human being. I remember her sitting with Nick (my son, now 34) as an infant and he was simply enthralled with her.
Lynette Prisner
Accountant, Business Manager, Former Sound Engineer
Judithe had her Very Own ‘Magical-Mystical-Poetic-Portal’
…..She was “The Catcher From
The Sky;
She’d sift through thoughts that
Float on by,
And when she’d ‘net’ them-
Pen in hand:
Each Word
Each Truth-
Her Last Stand.
Though at times they made her
Weep;
She Shared Her Soul-
Sacred Thoughts You Keep”……….
Kelley Palmer
Poet, Artist, Lyricist
"The first time I met Judithe Randall was when I was sitting at the piano with her daughter, Robin, in the living room of the grand old house on Hollyridge Drive, working on a song. I felt a presence and turned around to see what I thought at first was a child sitting way up on the staircase with an intense but smiling face, listening to the music we were making. She must have liked what she heard because the next time I saw her she handed me the lyrics to “Wish On The Wind”.
It doesn’t get much better than that.
Thank you, Judithe, for hearing something that day that led you to write such a beautiful lyric.
And thank you, Robin, for sitting down at the piano that day and writing what became “Wish On The Wind” with me. I am honored to have my name included with Robin and Judithe Randall as co-writer."
James Butler
Songwriter, Musician
Judithe Randall is the voice in my head after I've written a lyric I know is right. I can't remember how I came to know Judithe, but I know that after I was introduced to her, things started popping with lyric writing career. Judithe introduced me to her daughter Robin and the rest is history, as they say. I've written some great tunes with Robin, the most recent during a pandemic, entitled "Joy". "Joy" is a gorgeous song and I know Judithe would be so proud of us that all of these years later we are still writing together. I remember when Judithe compared my lyric writing to Bob Dylan. Now, I know I'm no Bob Dylan, but her faith and support kept me going and gave me the confidence to carry on. Judithe introduced me to a rock band that enlisted my services on two songs that I consider some of my best work. Most recently, I collaborated on a jazz duet. For some reason, Judithe popped into my head when the composer sent me the music to my lyric, and I thought, if it weren't for Judithe....well, if it weren't for Judithe, would I be writing at all now? I thank Judithe Randall for her passion for music, her passion for Artists and putting it all together. I want her to know that although the business of music broke her heart, it will not break me. Judithe, I am still writing and creating the work that I know you would be proud to hear, creating work that you would support, creating work that gave you the passion for music. xo
Nancy Krasn Gumbiner
Lyricist
Miss Judithe -
Once upon a time there was a lady
She lived up in that house on Holly Hill . . .
She told me of her life and days, her memories of younger days
Once upon a time, not long ago
Now some say that Miss Judy was eccentric
She could paint a dream-like masterpiece
And play a song she never heard, and tell me with poetic words
About her life, once upon a time
Ooh . . . Judy , Ooh . . . Judy
She could look into my eyes,
And tell me where my future lies
And what my past was, once upon a time
Many years have passed since I’ve seen Judy
The memory is clear within my mind . . .
She gave a special gift to me, inspiration for my dreams
Once upon a time, not long ago
Ooh . . . Judy , Ooh . . . Judy
She could look into my eyes
And tell me where my future lies
And what my past was, once upon a time
Words and music by Monique Hill, BMI, copyright 2006
Would love to say that “ Judithe was an inspiration to me, she showed me how to paint pictures with words. She will live in my heart and music forever.”
Monique Topolski
Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Musician
I remember Judithe Randall as a unique, talented and beautiful woman. I didn’t know her well but she was obviously admired by those who did.
K.A. Parker
Songwriter
Judithe embodied a rare combination of artistic eccentricity, genuine creativity, high-level organizational skills, and hard-nosed business savvy.
Steve Hopkins
Composer, Musician, Producer
"Judithe Randall was an incredible artist! For people who only knew her as a lyricist, she was a brilliant lyricist who told beautiful stories that touched your heart. She was also an amazing painter. I loved her art work and had great respect for her tremendous artistry. As with so many artists, she let all of her art express her love, pain, joy and frustrations in her life.”
Mike Campbell
Jazz Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Educator
Lyrics are an art that tells a story which affects the lives of those who read or listen; Judithe touched the lives of many people through her Lyrics and I will miss the power she generated though her poetry. I was honoured to sing her very last poem she gave to the world, as she says, Life Is Worth Living, just make sure you take this into your Hearts as you go on with your lives.
John Francis
Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Musician
Tribute To Judithe Randall
Sometime in 1992, our record company, Global Satellite, signed an English band called After Hours. I had to track down the publishing info of all the songs and one of those “Heartache (Hits You)” I traced to Atso Music and the composers Judithe and Robin Randall. We started discussing terms but then I discovered dozens more fabulous songs from the Randall household and ended up making an exclusive sub-publishing deal for the whole catalogue.
I would visit the Los Angeles at least once a year and, of course, would always visit Judithe and Robin in Hollyridge Drive for us all to get up to date. Their house was crammed with creativity, including Judithe’s poetry and artwork as well as all the music.
Judithe was absolutely charming, modest, but somewhat enigmatic and a joy to be with. Judithe kindly gave me a print of her John and Julian painting which I still have hanging in my hallway as a permanent reminder of an extremely talented lady who I was extremely honoured to know.
Peter Knight Jr
Catalyst Music Publishing Ltd. (London, U.K.)
The "Fairy Godmother” of Sons of Angels
When my fellow bandmates from Sons of Angels, Torstein and Lars K, and myself flew from Oslo to Los Angeles on March 13th, 1989 with an eight track-demo cassette in our pockets, we were determined to get an American record deal. Ambitions were high, we were very pleased with the songs we had recorded and Lars wrote in our bio, “Sons of Angels – a Norwegian band set out to expand your mind as well as your bank-account!” The only problem was that we had only ten days to make this happen and only two contact-names in our pocket. One was of the manager of Randy Crawford, she had recorded one of Torstein's songs for her latest album at the time. The other name was Judithe Randall and the contact-info was given to us by my girlfriend (later wife), Kari Iveland, she had studied at Dick Groove School of Music under Robin, who was an instructor there, a couple of years earlier. It was Judithe’s network that came to be important for us. Luckily, one of the first things we did was to see Judithe at her home on Hollyridge and we also got to meet her mother, Mimi, and Robin her daughter. We immediately hit it off well, Judith was very impressed by our recordings and said she would do what she could to help us out. The first contact she made was Jim Vellutato at the publishing-company Famous Music. He came back to us almost immediately saying he wanted a meeting and to our surprise that meeting also included his boss; they offered us a publishing deal right there and then! We were pleasantly shocked, but at the same time a bit scared to jump to conclusions too fast. It was obvious that we needed a lawyer to help us in the decision-making and the Famous-people gave us the contact-info of Richard Lehr, at the time recently named as one of US’ top three music attorneys. He came to be very important for us in the years to come.
Quite soon it appeared to us that we had something going for us and that we should be careful in the decision-making. A band like us needed a manager, a trustworthy one, and again Judithe helped us out. She suggested for us to contact Arthur Spivak, at the time Vice President of DeMann Management (Madonna amongst many others) and luck struck again; he was about to leave DeMann and was ready to take new bands onboard his new company Spivak Entertainment. We really liked Arthur, both as a human being and also his approach to managing bands, he didn’t even want to make a contract, he said, ”let’s base this on trust”. With Richard Lehr’s approval, Arthur became our manager and he is still a good friend, 30 years down the line.
What happened with Sons of Angels, this ten hectic days during the easter holiday of 89’, is a true fairytale of “Rock n’ Roll”. The people Judithe contacted made lots of contacts of their own. The pile of messages to us in the hotel-reception grew daily and upon leaving we already had tremendous interest from several record companies. “Hits” magazine wrote at the time, “There are three Norwegians in town with a tape that burns”. It got to a point where we almost thought the whole thing was some kind of prank, it was that unreal. I will never forget Richard’s last word upon leaving, “I think it’s gonna happen”.
Back home, we decided to set up a showcase in Oslo and invite interested record-companies to come over to see us. Norwegian record company executives were shocked to see legends from their American headquarters like MCA-boss Al Teller show up in Oslo. Warner Bros and Atlantic Records were also present. Of course, we went for the “Led Zeppelin” label - Atlantic - and after the recording in LA and San Fransisco, late ’89 early ’90, with star producer Kevin Elson, the album came out May 1990. None of this would have happened without the help of Judithe Randall whom we nicknamed as the band’s “Fairy Godmother”.
Med vennlig hilsen, best regards,
Hans-Olav Solli
Singer, Songwriter, Artist, Musician, Museumsdirektør /director
Judithe has left a wonderful legacy as a writer and was a great talent who must have inspired so many people, including her daughter, Robin, in this wonderful business of music making which means so much to all of us. Judithe and I chatted for hours about lyrics and the art of music making. She was a true inspiration to me.
Khalil Turk
A&R Director for Escape Music LTD (UK)
I count myself fortunate to have gotten to know Judithe. She certainly was special and so very kind. Her correspondence always stood out, the letters, faxes or even the inlay cards to the tapes were almost always in her beautiful handwriting. The late great Roy Colgate over at the Stockholm Warner Chappell office was the one who initially introduced and connected me with Judithe. I can to this very day so very clearly remember the first time listening to this compilation of songs, which truly blew me away. Hollyridgeland is a beautiful way to cherish the treasures of a melodic rock legacy.
Magnus Soderkvist
A&R Director, Sweden
What I remember of Judithe is that she lived in a world of her own upon a house in the Hollywood Hills, I met Judithe several times throughout the years both on different locations in Santa Monica and in their home where she lived together with her mother and her daughter Robin. What I recall is that she loved her thrilling stories in books and movies, she certainly also knew how to write a great melodic song. But most of all what I do remember about Judithe is that she was sweet and a very caring person, gentle, hospitable and helpful. I am honored to have known and met her, she was one of a kind and people like that you’ll never forget in heart and soul.
Rick Huisseune
Bruges, Belgium
Hello Robin: For the last 24 years I’ve told the story over and over again about the time when I was 14 years old and your mom changed the trajectory of my life as I would know it.
I had heard the song “Please Bless A Brand New Angel” on Baywatch and my little 14 year old heart just crumbled. I waited until the credits at the end and wrote down you and your moms name and biked to my local music store to ask them if they had the tape, the sheet music anything and to my surprise they didn’t! Devastated! So I biked back home, I ran to my piano to tried to play it by ear but was not yet able to really pick out tunes very well. So I flipped through the TV GUIDE and saw that the episode would play again the following night, so I recorded it, and I watched that VHS recording over and over and would run back and forth from the tv to the piano. Writing down what I thought the chords were. But I couldn’t master it. So… I got the yellow pages out and found the number to some production studio that was listed on the closing credits and I called!
Well they hadn’t heard of you or your mom either but they gave me their address if I wanted to write a letter to someone who might. So I hand wrote a letter to whom it may concern asking if anyone knew who you and your mom were and where I could buy the sheet music from! To my surprise a couple weeks later my dad told me I had mail! A big padded envelope from Los Angeles, CA! When I opened it, it was the sweetest handwritten letter from your mom thanking me for loving the song and this when she told me that it was her and her daughter that wrote it together. Along with the letter she sent me the sheet music and a tape with both the lyrics and instrumental track!! It was like Christmas! I cried and ran straight to my desk and wrote her a thank you card and rode my bike to find the mail man so it would get out that day, then biked back and ran to the piano to play the song and placed the tape in my karaoke machine and I sang it until the late hours of the night!
A couple weeks later I was singing at a church that my mom would go to sometimes and there was a mother and daughter there, the mother was very sick and after hearing me sing, she went up to my mom with her daughter and told her that I had the voice of an angel and asked if when she passed away I would sing at her service so the angels would be there. So I penned a letter to your mom again asking if I could change the word in the song “please” to “God Bless” since I was going to be singing it in a Catholic Church. She wrote me write back and thanked me for respecting the song so much to ask and that I could absolutely change it to God.
I wrote her one final thank you note and from that moment on I have always believe that there are not only good people in this world, but how important it is to take the time to see and hear people and to help them make there dreams come true, even the smallest ones. She taught me to take time for those you don’t know and show them love and acknowledgment. She made me feel seen, heard, and valued, and she made me truly believe that everything is possible so long as you go after it with your whole heart, on that day I realized that giving my voice a song would always be the way I find peace.
I’ve been a songwriter ever since that day. This July will be the very first time I’m ever performing with a live band, a full choir, a sign language performer, and an original song that I wrote. This story about my interaction with your mom has come up daily as I share the beginning of my songwriting journey and how it began with the kindest and most sweetest woman taking the time for me, a little girl in San Diego, who just wanted to learn how to play a song, but not just any song, the first song I ever remember moving me to tears. It was the moment I realized that music and songwriting could move my soul and it would forever move me from that moment forward.
Just wanted to share! I’m so thankful for the internet now and being able to find you! I hope you are living a life that lights you up and brings you all the joy that you deserve. When I was trying to find you both I read that your mama passed away. She must be one of the most spectacular angels in all the promised land.
All my love,
Heather Cleaves
Eddie and Mari King started Kingsound Studios in 1980 as a small space to do cheap songwriter demos. With a Teac 4 track recorder and small PA console, the reputation…and the studio…grew. In a few years it morphed into a busy 24 track studio, recording demos, budget film scores, and full-on high-profile albums.
Robin Randall was a key player in the studio’s growth. She, along with her mother Judithe, brought in numerous songwriter projects, and helped generate a buzz among her circle of composers, musicians, singers, and lyricists. Eddie engineered most of those projects and was able to branch out into producing many of them.
Eddie later went on to become a full-time composer, and the experience of those early sessions paved the way for the success he’s had.
Eddie King
Sound Engineer, Composer
When I moved to Los Angeles, I attended the Dick Grove School of Music. There, I made a lot of connections, and it is where I met Robin Randall, an amazing songwriter. Robin introduced me to her mother, Judithe Randall who was a songwriter, and an artist and a music publisher who pitched songs to artists everywhere around the world. Meeting Judithe was an amazing experience. The Randalls were Hollywood Dynasty. Being at their house for amazing parties, people singing - it was always very inspiring.
I want to thank Robin and Judithe for all of their inspiration and help with my music through the years.
Roger Larocque
There was a picture that hung on the kitchen wall of “Hollyridge”.…the Alice in Wonderland characters. It was perfect and obviously straight from Disney. But no, as it turned out Judithe Randall had drawn this picture as a child. A sign of things to come, for sure.
Raised by her grandparents, my Canyon pre-school bestie was Robin Randall. Robin’s mother was a mystery. I finally met her mother at age 7. Her name was Judithe Randall. Come to think of it, after that meeting, Judithe appeared ever more mysterious in my eyes, a bit bizarre too. So interesting and different than any parent I ever met before or since. Robin called her Judithe! Wow, even that was different than the norm. I was a neighbor the next block or so over off of Franklin & Argyle up Vine Hill. Judithe lived off of Franklin too, between myself and Robin whose home location was 2170 Hollyridge Drive, also off Franklin up Bronson into the foothills. Hollyridge! This is how I came to know Robin and Judithe Randall. Then, we grew up…
My family had moved away to the beach in 1967. Robin and I kept in touch through letters, phone calls and wonderful overnight visits. We had a blast and survived the ‘70s. The parties at Hollyridge were always great and for the record we got away with most of our teenage shenanigans with little repercussions. Judithe was always around with wise quirky advice using astrology, life lessons while always creating her art. Hey, it was the ‘70s and truly groovy normal and harmless teen stuff. Robin always fun and Judithe personified the eccentric, talented mad artist. Robin and Judithe were tight. Sister/mom relationship.
The ‘80s arrive and now we were all young adults. Suddenly Hollyridge got even more glamorous! Robin was an accomplished piano player by this time and the Hollyridge living room was large enough for a grand piano and an Emmy sat on the fireplace mantel next to the annual Christmas card from Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. The room had a magnificent Bay window looking down over Hollywood…at night, so perfect. The parties got even more impressive by this time. At the epic parties, being that most of Robin’s friends and peers were in the “The Biz” would now spontaneously gather around the piano and break into song. All had talent whether singing or playing something or another. Delightful to an accountant like me. What a crowd, what a house, such special people. Of course, Albeit a private person, Judithe was always around somewhere close by slipping in and out of the shadows of her childhood home that she grew up in herself before Robin was a thought. Judithe, was always interesting, exotic, eccentric, smart and intuitive. I think of her with nothing but the utmost fondness. Now that I have set the stage, following is a story from 1985. It is the story of Sister Judithe. It was a bit disturbing for the participants at the time! Now it is a classic and quite funny in hindsight:
SISTER JUDITHE AND THE SPELL OF HOLLYRIDGE
Oh joy, I just received an invite from Robin to a holiday soiree at Hollyridge! I had a new boyfriend, DJ, who I thought was hot! He recently moved to Cal from Chicago and I was excited to show him off and show off the Hollywood scene that I happened to have a connection. Apparently, he was excited enough to share it with his supervisor at work, someone I knew nothing about or had ever met. Important point for later in story.
Off to Hollyridge we went. The driveway alone blew DJ’s mind. We parked on the street. So fun. We entered through the “playroom” and then to the ta da moment! DJ met Robin (He said, ‘she’s a smoking hot slam 10’) Well, Robin’s gang was all there and she is working the room as hostess with the mostest. Everyone looked great, including Judithe who I ran into in the kitchen. We always liked each other very much. She made the rounds briefly and then disappeared. Typical and okay.
As party was in full swing, I took DJ on a tour of the quirky old historic house. Once we zigzagged our way to the very back room, there was Judithe. She was holding court sitting with a bunch of artisans, some smoking and her room was stuffed and surrounded by A LOT of her art. Lennon, Robin, etc. Well, DJ entered the room and looked like he had been struck by lightning. The spirtualness, the galaxity and the downright rock of Judithe’s art blew him to another dementia. He wanted to hang out and further discuss her work. Me? I had no problem and left to rejoin the party. I would pop in now and then during the evening and DJ was still riveted like he found the Ark.
The hoppin’ evening came to an end and DJ and I went home (hour drive). DJ totally enjoyed himself spending the lion’s share of the night with Judithe in the back room with other people that came in and out to appreciate the art, smoke, etc. All good.
The next morning my phone rings and it’s Robin. DJ is still in bed (yes he spent night). Robin asks if I’m alone. Yes. Robin then asks me how long and well I know DJ. Ha! Why? Robin tells me a tale of bizarreness I couldn’t flippin’ believe!!! She tells me that DJ confronted Judithe in her room by saying that, “he knew what and who she was.”??!! Then DJ started calling her “Sister Judithe” and how he knew that she is a witch. Then DJ gave her a piece of paper with a pentagram to prove he was a disciple of hers. Well, Judith is a free spirit groovy chick, but this was enough to disturb even her! She stayed calm. Me? I would have run out of the room screaming psycho on the loose! Not Judithe. She told him to stay away from bad ju ju, black magic, etc that it’s dangerous and I don’t want to hear anymore. Typical non-judgmental, Judithe.
My response to Robin was, “what the F? I’ll call you back.” Apparently, Judithe had warned Robin to warn me about this completely obtuse behavior from my new boyfriend.
Well, I walked into my bedroom and simply irrupted. “I just talked to Robin. What the hell did you do or say last night and why????!!!! DJ rose and looked sheepish and busted, but told me he had a perfectly logical explanation and it will be a wonderful revelation for me.
Here is what he said:
“I was enlightened to witchcraft by my new supervisor at work who is Stevie Nicks soul mate lover and has been for many lifetimes. It’s all true Patty. When I told him I was going to a Hollywood party he told me I was going to meet a witch and that I should introduce myself with the pentagram. Seeee? He was right! It’s Sister Judithe! It’s obviously Sister Judithe. I am now her dominion. Hollyridge is her castle, it is magical, whimsical and a sanctuary. It put a spell on me that I’ll never forget.”
All I could think was, “DAMN it, sigh, too bad he’s crackers.” Well, DJ and I didn’t last much longer after that. I had no interest in living with a witch with the mind of a child. I was embarrassed. He was “hot” though.
If you think about it, the name Sister Judithe does kinda fit. I like it. She was a spiritual cat for sure!
Love and fond memories forever Sister Judithe!
Xox Patty French