Wait, what? Coincidentally or consequently?
Max Weinberg
Norman Greenbaum
Both confirmed Jews, at least by upbringing, I believe. I don’t know what they profess(ed) as adults.
My Jew playlist on Spotify goes by Jewish geography rules and includes songs written and/or performed by Jews. RHCP when Hillel Slovak was part of the lineup and covering a Dylan song counts either way. It also includes Leonard Cohen, Porno for Pyros, Jefferson Airplane, Amy Winehouse, J. Geils Band, The Ramones, Warren Zevon, Peaches, and Hole, among others. (Some but not all of those have been mentioned.)
EDIT: I see we have other Peglegs here…
How did we manage to get this far without a mention of Adam Levine?
Coincidentally I think. As I heard it, Simmons and Stanley were friends beforehand (to which their both being Jewish may have some relevance), cooked up the concept of Kiss - the makeup and everything - between them, and then recruited other musicians to actually make up the band. There was ongoing resentment because Simmons and Stanley remained close, and had a tendency to treat the others like employees, despite their making a considerable musical contribution (well, if you can call Kiss music :p.)
Neil Diamond, “The Jewish Elvis”
Paul Schaffer, the original keyboardist for the Blues Brothers, among his other accomplishments (Letterman, SNL)
Max Weinberg, drummer for Springsteen and bandleader for Conan O’Brien’s first late show
Not interested in any cavils about how they’re “not really Rock.”
Amy Winehouse!
The band 10cc was led by British Invasion veteran Graham Gouldman (he wrote the Yardbirds’ “Heart Full of Soul” and the Hollies’ “Bus Stop”) and future video pioneers Lol Creme and Kevin Godley.
All three of them were Jewish.
Carly Simon. On her father’s side, at least.
Marty Balin (of Jefferson Airplane)
Bit of a stretch given that only his father had a Jewish background, and MK has described his father as agnostic.
True- her Dad was the “Simon” in Simon & Shuster publishing.
But she and sister Lucy were raised Catholic (nominally, at least- no idea if she’s religious today).
Helena Bonham Carter?
Lead singer of Counting Crows, Adam Duritz, is Jewish. Cite: The song 1492, where he sings, “I’m Russian Jew American”
ETA: Thanks
I’m an Irish Catholic, and I don’t feel qualified to determine who’s “truly” a Jew.
A rabbi might decide “No, Knopfler is not Jewish because his mother was not a Jew.” Fine, the rabbi has his standards and he’s entitled to them.
But… suppose someone was being hauled off to Dachau, and he told the SS men, "“Wait- my mother isn’t Jewish! Okay, my Dad was Jewish, but he never went to the synagogue!”
Think the SS would have said, “Ooooooh, that’s different, you can go free”? Or would they have said, “You sound like a Jew to me”?
So these things are decided by the “Nazi Test”? Who knew? 