Rashkow came to the music business without any background or credentials in the industry, having been a golf professional and a golf equipment manufacturer's rep from 1960 through 1965. His entree was via the recording studio and he became a recording engineer who worked at
Bell Sound Studios, Studio 76, Sounds On Broadway, National Recording and Broadway Recording. His first songwriting partner was Mikie Harris (whom he later married), a noted NYC background singer of the 1960s who was later assistant to
John Hammond. They signed as staff writers to Pamco Music, the
BMI wing of
ABC-Paramount Records, however they were not successful as a writing team.
"Mary in the Morning" Rashkow began writing with his friend Johnny Cymbal, whom Rashkow had brought to ABC from Cymbal's previous staff position at South Mountain Music, the
Don Costa/
Teddy Randazzo firm. They soon wrote "Mary in the Morning", which became a worldwide hit. It has sold in excess of 10,000,000 recordings, and in 2010 attained BMI's Two Million Performance status for radio airplay. Rashkow and Cymbal wrote numerous other songs including "Julie On My Mind" which, as recorded by
Adam Wade, became a hit in the Caribbean Islands and is today still well known among reggae enthusiasts. During this period, under the name "Mike Lendell", Rashkow wrote, produced and sang lead on a novelty tune "Please Phil Spector" which was not released in the U.S., but received airplay overseas. That recording was subsequently included in a BBC documentary film about
Phil Spector and more recently a tribute compilation CD titled ''Phil's Spectre'' on ACE Records. Contractual issues stalled the Cymbal/Rashkow writing partnership shortly thereafter, although in 1983 Cymbal and Rashkow reunited and wrote a number of songs for the Nashville market.
Partnership with Ellie Greenwich In 1967, Rashkow formed Pineywood Productions and Pineywood Music with Ellie Greenwich. This was Rashkow's most productive period. In addition to the artists mentioned above, Rashkow and Greenwich signed Steve Tudanger as a writer and producer. Tudanger was a founder of the seminal
doo-wop group The Four Evers and had been a voice in the
Archies. As an artist, Tudanger had releases on
Mercury Records and
Wes Farrell's Chelsea label; though well-received, these were not successful. His song "Let Me Be Forever", as recorded by Steve Feldman, became a #1 hit in several South American countries. The Definitive Rock Chorale was a studio group and a vehicle for the Rashkow/Greenwich writing team, and utilized the vocal talents of NYC "A List" background and jingle singers, including
Ron Dante,
Toni Wine,
Jimmy Radcliffe, Tony Passalaqua, Cashman, Pistilli and West and Ellie Greenwich herself. Their release "Variations On A Theme Called Hanky Panky" charted and became a minor cult classic. Rashkow and Greenwich also wrote and produced music for
The Hardy Boys, an animated TV series. ==Other ventures==