Tag: Hall of Fame
Bart Howard
May/June 2015 BART HOWARD by Rob Lester He said that “the song poured out of” him “in twenty minutes,” but it sure has lasted: “Fly Me to the Moon” put composer-lyricist Bart Howard on the map with just that one audience-pleaser. Successful both as an uptempo number and its original setting as a romantic ballad, […]
Stephen Sondheim
April 2010 STEPHEN SONDHEIM by Noah Tree Shall we keep this simple? You want to go through the intriguing Stephen Sondheim canon again for his numerous precocities, all doubtless worthy of the appreciative cult scrutiny the works receive. Perfectly understandable to this writer who enthusiastically ghosted the reaction to the first Sondheim tribute as “waves […]
Ira Gershwin
March 2010 IRA GERSHWIN by Mark Nadler Upon the publication of his book, Lyrics on Several Occasions, one of his idols, P.G. Wodehouse, sent Ira Gershwin a note wherein he stated: “I’ve always considered you the best of the whole bunch.” What made Ira Gershwin, if not the best lyricist of the 20th century, certainly […]
Cole Porter
June 2009 COLE PORTER Just to list Cole Porter’s enduring songs would take pages. As captivating today as when they were written well over a half-century ago, and heard often in the songlists of cabaret artists, “Night and Day,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To,” “Anything […]
Lena Horne
June 2009 LENA HORNE On nightclub stages, on records, on Broadway and on the screen, Lena Horne has long been on top and on target. Turning 91 this month, her glow and glamour remain, her influence and stardom monumental. She was last on disc embracing songs of friend Billy Strayhorn. (His biographer, David Hadju, told […]
Tony Bennett
May 2009 TONY BENNETT Like some cabaret hopefuls, a fellow originally named Anthony Dominick Benedetto began as a singing waiter in New York, earning $15 per week. Many nightclubs, concert halls, scores of records and over a dozen Grammy Awards later, Tony Bennett’s still going strong, starting May at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and […]
Johnny Mercer
May 2009 JOHNNY MERCER Prolific and terrific, warm or witty, Johnny Mercer was, to employ one of his song titles, just “Too Marvelous for Words.” That 1937 song had music by Richard Whiting, father of Mercer protegee and friend and another of our Hall of Fame-rs, singer Margaret Whiting, now President of the music education-focused […]
Jan Wallman
May 2009 JAN WALLMAN New York cabaret owes a big debt of gratitude to Jan Wallman. A nurturing music lover and businesswoman, she famously ran the original Upstairs-at-the-Duplex and the clubs bearing her name. She insisted on paying the performers salaries, rather than a portion of the cover charge. Her eagle eye for talent spotted […]
Eartha Kitt
April 2009 EARTHA KITT by Elizabeth Ahlfors The outstanding thing about Eartha Kitt was that beneath the onstage glamour, she really was not Eartha Kitt at all. She was Eartha Mae. Eartha Kitt was the diva, the actress, the original Catwoman, the charismatic chanteuse at the Café Carlyle. Eartha Mae was a sharp, bright woman […]
