Biography

Singer/songwriter Andy Kim was born as Andrew Youakim on December 5, 1946 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Andy went to New York City in his mid teens with just forty dollars in his pocket to try his luck in the music business. He lasted a few short days in New York and returned back to Canada. Undaunted, Kim made a second journey to New York. He worked at various odd jobs and recorded demos on the side before persuading music producer/songwriter Jeff Barry to give him a break. Andy recorded his debut single "How'd We Ever Get This Way?" for the Steed label in April, 1968. The song subsequently went on to become a Top 20 radio hit in both Canada and America alike. His follow-up single "Shoot 'Em Up Baby" was banned from various radio stations, but nonetheless still managed to sell half a million copies. Kim scored another Top 20 hit with "Rainbow Ride" and had a Top 10 smash success with his wonderfully catchy rendition of "Baby, I Love You." He won the Juno Award for Top Male Vocalist in 1968. Andy co-wrote the deliciously bubbly and infectious bubblegum pop classic "Sugar, Sugar," which was a massive #1 hit for the Archies in 1969. He co-wrote additional songs for the Archies as well as co-wrote a handful of songs on the album "Changes" by the Monkees. Kim hit another one right out of the ballpark with the groovy "Rock Me Gently;" this song soared to #1 on the Billboard pop charts in the fall of 1974 and sold six million copies. Following the death of his father in 1976, Andy took a hiatus from the music business. He returned under the pseudonym Baron Longfellow several years later: he recorded a self-titled debut album in 1980 and the follow-up album "Prisoner by Design" in 1984. He also released the single "Powerdrive" under his Longfellow alias in 1991. More recently Kim released the five song CD EP "I Forgot to Mention" in 2004. In March, 2005 he won the annual Indie Award for Favorite Solo Artist during Canadian Music Week. That same year Andy Kim established the Andy Kim Christmas Show, which is an annual live concert charity event that raises money for the Children's Aid Foundation.