Vini Poncia
Vincent "Vini" Poncia Jr. (born April 29, 1942) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Life and career Early life Poncia was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He is of Italian ancestry. The 1960s In the 1960s, Poncia formed a songwriting team with Peter Anders (née Peter Andreoli). An album of songs co-written by these childhood friends, The Anders & Poncia Album, was produced by Richard Perry and released in 1969. Their songs were recorded by artists including the Ronettes, Bobby Bloom, and Darlene Love. Anders and Poncia were also members of the Trade Winds (later called The Innocence). The Trade Winds' debut single "New York is a Lonely Town" reached #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1965. In 1968, with Frankie Meluso (aka Mell) and Peter Anders, Poncia founded MAP (Mell Anders Poncia) City Records in New York City. Their company included a small recording studio brought from a 3 track studio to four tracks (on a Scully Machine) by their chief engineer, Peter H. Rosen, who recorded sixteen albums before the company dissolved in 1970. The 1970s During the 1970s, Poncia became Ringo Starr's co-writer, and appeared on several of his solo albums: Ringo (1973),