Singers

At one point in her stellar career Sarah Vaughan told her dear friend, Billy Eckstine, that she wanted to be as popular as Tom Jones.  She wanted #1 hits and the kind of mega stardom Tom Jones had.  Billy, wisely, reminded her that in her career she sold out large concert halls, sold millions of records and had so many …

Recently someone posted “Before Elvis there was nothing”.  I replied “I beg to differ”.  The truth is, before Elvis there was so much beautiful music.  When you think about the singers like Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, it is overwhelming to reflect upon all that talent.  And those are just the men. The ladies included Ella …

This coming weekend, Movies Broadway Singers and Beyond will showcase two great female singers.  Ella Fitzgerald’s career spanned many decades.  She was known as the “First Lady of Song” and the “Queen of Jazz”.  Her vocal range spanned three octaves.  She sang the songs of the great composers, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and many others. She sang with singers like …

The world lost a great singer over the weekend. Beautiful, talented Eydie Gorme passed away at 84. Eydie and her husband, Steve Lawrence, have been entertaining the public for more than 50 years. My husband and I have seen them perform many times over the years. They both have wonderful voices that made the music come alive. Steve still performs, …

A friend of mine recently said that we played some of Barbra Streisand’s new music and she loved it.  It got me to thinking.  I first became acquainted with Barbra’s magical voice during college.  My roommate was one of the few students in the dorm to have a record player and she would buy every Barbra Streisand album.  We would …

Those of you who love Barbra Streisand, and I love her too, this blog’s for you. Have you ever listened to Roslyn Kind? She is Barbra’s sister and she has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. It is similar to Barbra’s, but she adds her own unique flavor. I have all of Roslyn’s CDs and I …

Did you know that Laura Nyro composer, songwriter of “Eli’s Coming”, “Stoned Soul Picnic”, “Wedding Bell Blues” and so many other hits, had her own insecurities. The story is this. Laura was performing at the Monterey Jazz Festival. She might have even followed the legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. For years following, Laura told of how she was booed off the …

Barry Manilow’s “One Voice” is wonderful! In fact, “It’s a Miracle”. For over 30 years, Barry has written beautiful music and performed before millions of people all over the world. Because of his talent and his warmth, we who have seen Barry in person feel like we’re “Old Friends”. I love Barry, but that’s ok. My husband loves him, too. …

My passion for music goes back to my childhood. They told me that I would sing for people on the boardwalk in Atlantic City when I was a baby. My two specialty numbers were “You’re Just In Love” from the Broadway show “Call me Madam”, and “Enjoy Yourself” (it’s later than you think). The latter song was probably very thought …