*On December 16, 2025 Jerry Ragovoy was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at an intimate ceremony in New York City.

Jerry Ragovoy was a prolific American songwriter and producer whose gospel-infused soul compositions shaped some of the most enduring music of the 1960s and beyond. Born in Philadelphia on September 4, 1930, Ragovoy was a self-taught pianist who absorbed gospel and R&B while working at Tregoobs, a neighborhood appliance store where he served as a music buyer. In 1953 he co-founded the Grand label with store manager Herb Slotkin, scoring an early success with the Castelles’ “My Girl Awaits Me.” 

After joining Chancellor Records, Ragovoy wrote arrangements for teen idols Frankie Avalon and Fabian, but his move to New York in 1962 redirected him from Broadway aspirations to pop and R&B production. That same year he wrote, produced and arranged “A Wonderful Dream” for the Majors, using the pseudonym Norman Margulies. As Norman Meade, he co-wrote the 1963 Garnet Mimms hit “Cry Baby” with Bert Berns, launching a run of gospel-steeped soul classics. 

Ragovoy penned “Time Is on My Side” for trombonist Kai Winding; later versions by Irma Thomas and, most famously, the Rolling Stones turned it into the band’s first American Top 10 hit. His emotionally charged writing resonated most powerfully with Janis Joplin, whose signature recordings of “Piece of My Heart,” “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder),” and “Cry Baby” became defining works of her career. Written for her, Joplin planned to record his song “I’m Gonna Rock My Way to Heaven” before her death in 1970.

He founded the Hit Factory studio in 1964 and later produced albums for the Butterfield Blues Band, Miriam Makeba, Carl Hall, Bonnie Raitt, and Dionne Warwick. Notable songs Ragovoy wrote: “Stay with Me” with George David Weiss, “You Don’t Know Nothing About Love” for Carl Hall, and “Pata Pata” with Miriam Makeba. In 1966 Ragovoy joined Warner Brothers as East Coast head of A&R, producing and writing for Lorraine Ellison and forging landmark collaborations with Howard Tate, including “Get It While You Can,” “Stop,” and “Ain’t Nobody Home.” 

Jerry Ragovoy passed away in 2011 in Manhattan at 80, following complications of a stroke, leaving behind a legacy of songs that bridged gospel passion and soulful pop craft.