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New York music engineer finds new life, challenges physician
By Julie Weeder, Journal staff writer

Dr. Stephen Goldman, with son Hart and wife Melissa, still has some of the platinum and gold album awards from the records he produced for such artists as Freddie Jackson, Whitney Houston and Billy Ocean. (Staff photo by Jerry Mennenga)

HAWARDEN, Iowa -- Stephen J. Goldman lived what some might call a glamorous life.

In the 1980s, Goldman resided in New York City - the melting pot of cultures and races with the hustle and bustle of business in the Big Apple every day and Broadway at his fingertips every night.

It was there that Goldman made a name for himself as one of the first independent recording engineers in New York City and led the industry in the emergence of electronic music. He worked with artists who went on to become


big hits: Kenny G, Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, David Lee Roth and Smokey Robinson.

So how is it that someone who seemed to have it all working in the recording industry gave it up, and at age 35 went back to school? Not just any school -- he applied to medical school. And he eventually left New York City, population millions, to practice medicine in Hawarden, Iowa, population 2,400.

"The changing face of music in New York made me wonder if I needed to move on," Goldman said.

Music and medicine weren't foreign to Goldman, who grew up on Long Island. His mother became the first director of the chemistry department at North Shore Hospital in New York City, in the days before a physician held that

position. His dad was an electrical engineer and is one of the founders of El Al Israel Airlines.

His father also is the one who encouraged the musical talent.

"My parents were the overachiever types, so they pushed me into music," Goldman said. "Dad was a recreational musician, a pianist. He was one of those people who could play anything by ear. I was not like that."

Music was what Goldman pursued in college, first at Stony Brook University in New York, then at the California Institute of Arts. He graduated from there with a degree in music.

Goldman's first foray into the entertainment industry was as a production assistant intern on the television show "The Waltons."

"But because Hollywood is such a big union town, it's hard to break in," Goldman said. "I got to know the California television community through that experience, but I had trouble breaking into the community."

So back to New York, where he played clubs as a keyboardist. By that time, the mid-1970s, "bubble gum" music was emerging as a new genre of music. In Goldman's hometown, the Bubble Gum Kings were forming a record company. They became known for such hits as "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, I Got Love in My Tummy.

The day Goldman walked into the studio, they were recording a song by the band Ram Jam. The song, "Black Betty," would become the band's one Top 20 hit.

The Bubble Gum Kings needed a producer and recording engineer. Goldman was it. With him he brought innovations in electronic music, something he had the chance to experiment with at California Institute of the Arts. It but hadn't been embraced by the music community - this was before synthesizers become commercially prominent. But Goldman saw a future in electronic music.

Turns out, he was right.

He also bucked the tradition of working in the union as a recording engineer.

"I became one of the first independents in New York," he said. "Where union-based structure was the norm, I emerged with a way to be independent."

From 1976 to 1990, Goldman watched music change radically and had hand in the movement to electronic music.

"We went from making records with orchestras and me waving my arms as a conductor to basically making music in a living room," he said. "There was a lot of pushing and pulling as far as digital as a concept."

Goldman worked on the aesthetic transition from analog to digital.

"It made the sound more smooth and musical," he said. "I remember the first Beatles collection that was transferred to digital. I listened to that, then pulled out my old record. I cringed when I played it against the digital. It

was amazing how the sound quality was so much better."

He worked with a variety of artists. Goldman established himself in the R&B community by participating in the rebirth of Evelyn Champagne King. King was a woman discovered at a young age, "was kind of a one-hit wonder," Goldman said, then wanted to re-emerge at age 17. She produced disco hits like "Let's Get Funky Tonight" and "Love Come Down."

Goldman's independent work helped him develop some artists on the side and try his hand in pop music as well.

"I did a slew of Kenny G records before he became a huge hit," Goldman said. "I worked on Whitney Houston's (first solo hit) 'You Give Good Love.'"

He also worked as hired hand on some Bruce Springsteen and David Lee Roth cuts.

But by 1990, mainstream music had changed so much. Rap was the "it" thing; bubble gum music and disco were dead.

"I wondered if I needed to move back to the classroom," Goldman said.

At age 35, he started attending New York University, where the center of musical therapy was being developed. He wasn't sure what the future held, but he started redoing his undergraduate credits in science while still

freelancing engineer work.

Going back to school had its challenges for Goldman.

"I was 15 years out from my last college course, so it took some getting used to," he said. "I feel like I'm the poster child for going back to school."

When he was getting close to completing his undergraduate science credits, he thought about where to go next. Musical therapy was an option, but Goldman looked at all the possibilities. He considered applying to tech school to study radiation oncology.

Goldman consulted his family doctor, an osteopath.

"He said, 'Well, you seem to be a smart guy. Why not apply to med school as well?'"

The prospect of competing with students 15 years his junior for a spot in medical school, spending four more years in school and three years in residency didn't intimidate Goldman.

"I had already done the go-back-to-school thing. What's intimidating now? What's the worst that can happen? I might as well try it," Goldman said.

He attended medical school at the New York College of Osteopath and Medicine and spent time studying cutting edge technology for bone marrow transplants.

By the time he applied for residency, Goldman and his wife, Melissa, were ready to leave the big city with their young son, Hart. Goldman spent the first part of his residency in Roanoke, Va., then finished in Bay City, Mich.

"It got me in touch with seeing another part of the country," he said. "We left New York in the first place because of the traffic and overcrowding."

At the end of his residency last year, the Goldmans knew they didn't want to return to the big city. It became evident that opportunities in medicine were in the rural areas, Dr. Goldman said.

Enter Hawarden, Iowa, and the need for a physician at the Mercy Medical Clinic there.

"Iowa wasn't a total stretch for us. My wife is from Muscatine, Iowa. She went to Chicago and worked at the Board of Trade, then to New York. She had all that city experience, too," Goldman said. "She missed big sky and clean

air. It became more attractive the more we thought about it."

Last summer, the family moved to Hawarden and Goldman, now 48, began practicing medicine in the rural community where his unique history is largely unknown.

It's a permanent home for the family, not just time to kill while paying off medical school. The Goldmans built a new house and moved in about three weeks ago. There are still boxes to unpack, and maybe a few that will never

get unpacked.

Like the box with Goldman's collection of gold and platinum records, old T-shirts and half a dozen photographs of Goldman with people like Smokey Robinson, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross and "a bunch of artists that didn't

make it so great."

If his 9-year-old son ever decides to take down his posters of video game icons, Goldman said he might hang up his memorabilia.

And Goldman is finally getting the chance to get back into music and reconnect with his piano.

New York City is never far way, however. Goldman's parents still live on Long Island.

"Sure there are things about the city we miss, but this isn't the middle of Idaho where the nearest big city is six hours away. We enjoy the lack of traffic and the clean fresh air."

On a recent weekend, the Goldman family saw Canadian geese flying north. It was amazing, Goldman said.

"You won't see that in New York."

And the family enjoys the community of Hawarden.

"It's a wonderful, giving and cooperative community," Goldman said. "I can't say enough about how great the community is. It's a great living experience for my family. The wholesomeness of rural life still exists in America."

Julie Weeder may be reached at (712) 293-4228 or julieweeder@siouxcityjournal.com

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