Ivan Ulz - History

History

After writing and recording his first song, A Letter to Hayley (released as a 45 rpm single by Bruce Belland's LarBell label) in 1962, Ulz decided to pursue a songwriting career. He spent the next couple of decades in and out of the folk-rock scene, living in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oklahoma and Alaska. Although Ulz did not achieve lasting fame as a folk singer/songwriter, he did make some notable connections, including introducing Lowell George to the music of Rickie Lee Jones by singing him "Easy Money" over the telephone (thereby creating an alliance which eventually led to Ms. Jones's recording contract with Warner Brothers), and giving an unknown comic named Steve Martin a spot in the open mic that Ulz was running at Coffee and Confusion in San Francisco. When living in "The City", Ulz befriended Michael Clarke, a young itinerant bongo player on the streets of North Beach, brought him home to feed him, and introduced him to some friends from Los Angeles, who subsequently became The Byrds. Ulz has also been linked to another Byrds member, Gene Clark, with whom he penned several songs in 1964. None of the song co-written by Clark and Ulz were ever recorded.

Ivan the Ice Cream Man, Ulz's only album of original songs for adults, was released in 1970 on Stanyan Records, a label owned by self-styled poet Rod McKuen. Some of the supporting musicians who performed on Ice Cream Man went on to have successful careers of their own, including Jackson Browne, Lowell George, Roy Estrada, Jimmy "Guitar" Smith, and Dick Rosmini. Although he did not perform on the album, legendary blues guitarist Steve Mann co-wrote two of the tracks on Ice Cream Man: "Beginning to Find My Way" and "Circles Under Squares."

In 1980, Ulz moved to New York City and changed his focus from folk rock to children's music. From 1997 to 1999, Ulz lived in Arroyo Grande, California, where he recorded an album of children's music and hosted a children's radio show called Treasure Ivan. Today Ulz splits his time between Greenwich Village and California's Central Coast, performing for toddlers and their families.