Mordechai Ben David

Mordechai Werdyger (born 16 April 1951,^[1] Brooklyn, New York), professionally known as Mordechai Ben David (Hebrew: מרדכי בן דוד‎, lit. Mordechai, son of David) or MBD for short, is an American Hasidic Jewish singer and songwriter popular in the Orthodox Jewish community. He has been referred to as the 'King of Jewish music'. He has produced many popular Jewish albums over the past 40 years. He also starred as a frequent performer in the popular HASC concert series for almost two decades. Werdyger blends traditional Hasidic melodies with modern pop to create the songs in his albums, working with contemporary music producer Eli Lishinsky. Werdyger does not sing at mixed concerts for religious reasons.^{[citation needed]}. As of November 2011, he has announced that he has unofficially retired and his 2011 album Kisufim will be his last.

Family

His father, David Werdyger, is a hazzan (cantor) and Holocaust survivor originally from Kraków. His brother, Mendy, is also a Jewish singer and owner of the Jewish record label Aderet Records and its retail store in Boro Park, Brooklyn, Mostly Music.^[2] His son, Yeedle,^[3] nephew, Yisroel Werdyger (Mendy's son)^[4], and son-in-law, Mendy Wald, are also popular Jewish singers. ^[5][6]

Werdyger lives in Sea Gate, Brooklyn, and has mentioned that he has purchased a house in Jerusalem and intends to move there shortly.

Song adaptations

A few of MBD's songs are adaptations of well-known, non-Jewish songs.

• "Lichtiger Shabbos" on Just One Shabbos (1982) [retitled "Yiddish" on Solid MBD (1993)] is an adaptation of "Close Every Door To Me", from the musical theater production Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
• "Kumt Aheim" on Jerusalem: Not For Sale (1986), commonly referred to as "Yidden" and retitled as such for the CD release, uses the music of "Dschinghis Khan" (English: Genghis Khan), from the German band Dschinghis Khan.
• "Father Dear" on Yerushalayim Our Home (1988) [retitled "Daddy Dear" on The English Collection (1998)] uses music from "Little Child," performed by many earlier singers, notably Cab Calloway and his daughter in 1956; it, in turn, is adapted from an earlier French song.^[7]
• "Shir Hashalom" is an adaptation from Bobby Vinton's My Melody of Love.

In addition, "Vechol Maminim", from MBD's album of the same name, was an adaptation of "Tov Lehodos", an earlier song by Shlomo Carlebach.

Discography

• Mordechai Ben David Werdyger Sings Original Chassidic Nigunim (1973)
• Hineni (1974)
• Neshama Soul (1975)
• I'd Rather Pray and Sing (1977)
• Vechol Maminim - Songs of Rosh Hashana (1979)
• Moshiach is Coming Soon (1980)
• Memories (1981)
• Mordechai Ben David Live (1981)
• Ich Hob Gevart (I Have Waited) (1982)
• Just One Shabbos (1983)
• Around the Year Vol. 1 (1984)
• Hold On (1984)
• Let My People Go (1985)
• Jerusalem Not For Sale (1986)
• MBD and Friends (1987)
• Jerusalem Our Home - Lekovod Yom Tov (1988)
• Siman Tov and Keitzad (Singles) (1989)
• The Double Album (1990)
• Solid MBD (1990)
• Moshiach, Moshiach, Moshiach (1992)
• Live in Jerusalem (1989)
• Tomid BeSimcha - Always Happy (1994)
• Special Moments (1994)
• Once Upon a Niggun (1996)
• Chevron Forever (single)(1996)
• Ein Od Milvado (1997)
• The English Collection (1998)
• We Are One (1999)
• Maaminim (2001)
• Kumzits (2003)
• Nachamu Ami (2004)
• Oorah [single] (2005)
• Efshar Letaken (2006)
• Yiddish Collection (2007)
• Anovim Anovim [single] (2008)
• Oorah [single] (2008)
• Levado - Mishpacha [single] (2008)
• Kulam Ahuvim (2009)
• Platinum Collection (2009)
• Kisufim (2011)

In addition, MBD appears on many albums including:

• JEP Vol. 4 (1979)
• Jerusalem (1983)
• Father & Sons Biglal Avos (1984)
• Torah (1985)
• Simcha (1986)
• Hallel (1987)
• 25 Years Of Jewish Music (1988)
• Yeedle - Together (1993)
• 3 Generations (1994)
• Yeedle - Laasos Retzon Avicha (1995)
• Best Of The Best 1 (1997)
• Solid Gold Volume 1 (1997)
• Solid Gold Volume 2 (1998)
• Lev Vanefesh II (1998)
• Mona 3 (1998)
• Solid Gold Volume 3 (1999)
• Hamishorririm (1999)
• Ken Burgess - I'll Never Walk Alone In The Desert (2000)
• All Star Collection (2000)
• The Vocal Version (2001)
• Best Of The Best 2 (2002)
• Yeedle - IV (2002)
• Mona 4 (2003)
• Sheves Achim Shabbos In Mezibuz (2004)
• Ken Burgess - Melech (2005)
• Brand New (2005)
• Shabbos With The Werdygers 1 (2006)
• Yeedle - Lev Echad (2008)
• Hameorerim (2008)
• The 8th Note (2008)
• Shabbos With The Werdygers 2 (2010)
• Lipa Schmeltzer - Meimka Dlipa: From the Depth of My Heart (2010)
• Miami Boys Choir - Light Up the Nights & Greatest Dance Hits (2010)

References

1. ^ Alpert, Yair (18 April 2011). "Photos: MBD Celebrates His 60th Birthday". matzav.com. http://matzav.com/photos-mbd-celebrates-his-60th-birthday. Retrieved 22 April 2011. 
2. ^ Ferber, Elisha (9 February 2009). "Matzav.com’s Exclusive Interview With...Lipa Shmeltzer & Eli Gerstner". matzav.com. http://matzav.com/tomorrow-matzavcoms-exclusive-interview-withlipa-shmeltzer-eli-gerstner. Retrieved 22 April 2011. 
3. ^ "MBD Live in Israel featuring Aaron Razel & Yeedle". Jewish Insights. 2009. http://www.thejewishinsights.com/wp/mbd-live-israel-featuring-aaron-razel-yeedle/. Retrieved 22 April 2011. 
4. ^ "The Sheichet Interviews Yisroel Werdyger". Jewish Music Report. 1 March 2009. http://jewishmusicreport.com/2009/03/01/the-sheichet-interviews-yisroel-werdyger/. Retrieved 21 April 2011. 
5. ^ "Rabbis call for boycott of Ben David". The Jewish Telegraph (UK). June 11, 2004. 
6. ^ "He's the Jewish Michael Jackson - so why does a group of rabbis want to ban his concert?". The Telegraph (UK). June 20, 2004. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1465005/Hes-the-Jewish-Michael-Jackson-so-why-does-a-group-of-rabbis-want-to-ban-his-concert.html. Retrieved October 10, 2011. 
7. ^ Musical Transitions Reprinted from Discoveries - May 1995 by Christopher Papa

Persondata
Name	Ben David, Mordechai
Alternative names	Mordechai Werdyger
Short description
Date of birth	16 April 1951
Place of birth	Brooklyn, New York
Date of death
Place of death