Mendy Werdyger

Mendy Werdyger (born 1959,[1] Brooklyn, New York) is an American Hasidic Jewish singer, songwriter, and owner of the Jewish record label Aderet Records and its retail store, Mostly Music, on 13th Avenue in Borough Park, Brooklyn.[2] In 2010, he released his fifth studio album.[3] He is a son of the famous hazzan (cantor) David Werdyger, brother of popular Jewish singer Mordechai Ben David, uncle of singer Yeedle (Mordechai's son), and father of singer Yisroel Werdyger, also known as Sruli Werdyger.

Biography

Werdyger grew up in the Crown Heights and Boro Park neighborhoods of Brooklyn, attending yeshivas from grade school through kollel. At age 21, he joined his father's business, Aderet Records.[1] Mendy sang in the children's and then adult back-up choirs on recordings made by his late father, Cantor David Werdyger. Even in later years, he sang in the adult back-up choir on numerous albums of his popular brother, Mordechai Ben David as well as Avraham Fried, Dov Levine, Yerachmiel Begun, and others, as he himself was becoming a solo artist in a fast-pace growing music industry. Mendy also appeared as a guest star vocalist on a number of classic albums produced by Suki & Ding, and others over the years.

Since 1991, he has been the baal tefillah (cantor) for the Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur prayer services at a Gerrer shtiebel in Boro Park, Brooklyn.[4]

Since 2005, Werdyger and more recently his son Meir have been working on audio restoration of old albums. Though he lacks a college degree or professional training in sound engineering, he has re-mastered four CDs[5] worth of songs recorded by Cantor Yossele Rosenblatt, using computer software to clear off the scratchy distortions on the original records.[1][6][7]

Family

Werdyger is married to Devorah Hinda Rozmarin. They have six children.[1][8] Their son Yisroel released his second album in 2010.[9]

Discography

Solo albums
  • Sadigur Hokem Malchus Dovid (2005)
  • Tomid B'Chol Yom (2010)

Collaborations
  • Chaverim 1 (1990) (with Sheya Mendlowitz & Moshe Laufer)
  • Chaverim 2 (1991) (with Sheya Mendlowitz & Moshe Laufer)
  • Zakeinu (1994) (with Yehuda Kaplan)
  • Chaverim 3 (1996) (with Mona Rosenblum)
  • Hadras Kodesh (2004) (with Dudi Kalish)
  • Shabbos with the Werdygers (2006) (with Cantor David Werdyger, Mordechai Ben David, David Werdyger, Yidel Werdyger, Dovid Gabay, Avi Newmark, and Cantor Yakov Yitzchok Rosenfeld)
  • Sefira Beshira (2007) (with Dovid Gabay)
  • Hameorerim (2008)
  • Shabbos with the Werdygers 2 (2010)
  • Unity for Justice (2010)

References
  1. Berger, Joseph (July 20, 2010). "Bit by Electronic Bit, a Cantor's Voice Is Restored". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 22, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  2. Ferber, Elisha (February 9, 2009). "Matzav.com's Exclusive Interview With...Lipa Shmeltzer & Eli Gerstner". matzav.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  3. Kempinski, Yoni (November 23, 2010). "Interview: Hassidic Music Singer Mendy Werdyger". Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  4. Besser, Yisroel. "Advocates at the Gates of Mercy: Reb Mendel Werdyger, Gerrer Beis Medrash of Boro Park". Mishpacha, September 26, 2011, p. 57.
  5. "Od Yosef Chai 4". Mostly Music. 2011. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  6. "Mendy Werdyger Featured on NPR". Jewish Music Report. September 7, 2010. Archived from the original on March 9, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  7. Musleah, Rahel (2011). "Remastering a Master". Hadassah Magazine. Archived from the original on January 10, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  8. "Devora Hinda Werdiger". geni.com. 2001. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  9. "First Impression of Yisroel Werdyger's Ashira V'azamra". Jewish Music Report. November 24, 2010. Archived from the original on March 1, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
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