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West Hollywood Pair Writes Song That Palm Springs Is Frond of

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Times Staff Writer

Palm Springs residents now have their own song, thanks to two West Hollywood songwriters whose ballad, “Palm Springs,” has been chosen as the city’s official tune.

Richard Froeber, singer, composer and pianist, and his manager, Irene Mayer, both part-time residents of Palm Springs, were the winning entrants in the city’s songwriting contest.

Froeber and Mayer wrote their winning ballad about 20 years ago, Mayer said, “but nobody seemed to care about it.” The two forgot about the song until Palm Springs held the contest during its recent Dessert Circus Week, she said.

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The Froeber and Mayer song was chosen because it best portrayed the resort community of 35,000 that lies 120 miles east of Los Angeles, said Randy Westrick, special activities supervisor of the Community Services Department, which sponsored the contest.

“People come here to relax and to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and Richard and Irene’s song captures that,” Westrick said.

A panel of six Palm Springs residents and officials chose “Palm Springs” out of six finalists, Westrick said. The Desert Symphony Artistic Committee screened the original 44 entries. The winning tune will be played at city functions, he said.

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