Stricken with polio at the age of six, Brooklyn-born Jerome Felder knew something about the misery that spawns the blues. Inspired by Big Joe Turner, Jerome reinvented himself as blues singer Doc Pomus and made music history, penning dozens of hit songs with partner Mort Shuman for Ray Charles, the Drifters, and Elvis Presley. When singer-songwriters displaced hired guns like Pomus, Doc recast himself yet again, this time as a card sharp who presided over a never-ending poker party on the Upper West Side. An essential piece of mid-century Americana, this poignant and celebratory biopic pays homage to songs that transform pain into beauty, and to the man who didn’t just write “Lonely Avenue” but who lived on it. Interviews with musicians range from Jimmy Scott to John Lennon and Shawn Colvin to Dr. John. Still, the highest praise comes from would-be rival Bob Dylan, who says, “Everything you need to know is in ‘A Teenager in Love.’”  MP