A Song For You: The Quest of The Myddle Class by Kathy West (Xlibris)
Review by Chris Bishop

The Myddle Class were a sensation in New Jersey, in Greenwich Village and even in Albany, but none of their singles made the national charts and the band faded away as members went off to college and found other musical avenues to pursue. This was a common story in the 1960s, and one that usually would not be worth writing a book about, but the Myddle Class was not an ordinary band, and their story is far more intricate and compelling than most. It’s welcome to read Kathy West’s A Song For You: The Quest of The Myddle Class, a personal history of her experiences with the group, especially with their guitarist Rick Philp and one of their producers, Carole King.

Kathy started dating Rick when the band was known as the King Bees. Al Aronowitz became the band’s manager and introduced them to Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and Kathy became good friends with Carole as a result.

Rick and Kathy maintained their relationship for the next several years despite long separations at different colleges, she in Virginia, he first at Gettysburg and later Emerson College in Boston. They wrote frequent letters to each other while away, and reunited during vacations. Kathy portrays Rick as a talented musician and loyal friend who was sometimes withdrawn or occupied by conflicts such as his father’s disapproval of his musical pursuits. Kathy has not just her own memory to draw on, but letters from Rick, Carole and other friends to round out the picture.

Rick and Kathy spent the summer of ’68 together in Los Angeles for Rick to record with Carole King on early sessions of The City album. Kathy briefly enrolled in school at U. Mass in Boston to be closer to Rick, but she returned to Virginia after less than a month in order to give Rick room to work out the personal and academic pressures he faced. One of Rick’s problems was his Emerson roommate “Dog”, a closeted homosexual who purposely worked to undermine Rick’s friendships (including his relationship with Kathy), stole his mail and guitars and tried to exert control over Rick.

Despite the obstacles Rick faced, there were promising developments happening in his life. He was on his way to finishing college, an important personal goal. He was also writing songs with Gerry Goffin and Myddle Class vocalist Dave Palmer, cutting demos and planning to form a new group with all the members of the Myddle Class plus pianist Lloyd Baskin.

Kathy last saw him on a visit home in early May, 1969. A few weeks later she heard the terrible news that Rick was dead, murdered by the former roommate who was jealous that Rick was exerting his independence. It’s a tragedy that clearly still hurts all the people who knew Rick. This loss of a lover, good friend and promising musician lies at the heart of A Song For You and makes it a very touching story to read, even if, like me, you only know the band through their music.

Kathy published this book herself through Xlibris. Like many self-published books, it has idiosyncrasies: over-large type, a cover illustration that fits the subject but is somewhat generic, and occasional repetition or digression that a good editor would have corrected. Kathy provides a number of yearbook photos, news clippings and shots of locations around Boston, but I would have liked to see some candid photos to accompany the fine account she has written (Kathy sent me additional photos of the band to add to this review, including a striking shot of Dave Palmer on stage with Charlie and Dan, below.) Ultimately these are minor quibbles that do not lessen the book’s importance.

Kathy West’s A Song For You is a rare portrait of the Myddle Class that I find invaluable and recommend highly.

A Song For You is available in printed and digital editions through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Kathy also has signed hardcovers editions for sale; email her directly at kklew99@optonline.net.