I decided to talk about something on a more personal level today.
We all have memories from our life experiences whether they be memories to treasure, memories that are vague, funny memories, or sentimental memories. After hearing a few years ago about the passing away of one of my all time favorite singers, Eydie Gorme, I began thinking about how we are at the end of an era musically and memories came flooding back of growing up on the music of Eydie and Steve.
As a voice artist and vocalist, like many other artists, I love talking shop. But surprisingly enough, Eydie Gorme’s passing hit me on a more personal level after losing my mother just a few months ago. I have memories of my mother and I sitting back, listening to an album of hers, and marveling at her vocal control. Both of my parents gave me a love and appreciation for big band music, better known these days as the Great American Song Book. I grew up with Eydie Gorme and Steve Lawrence records all over our house along with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Dean Martin, and you name it. Now I’m really outdating myself, I realize, but I couldn’t help thinking today about the wonderful memories of the great music that I grew to love and appreciate through my family. Oh yes, and not to mention Tony Bennet, who is 85 years old and still going strong
Of course, we have some wonderful jazz artists out there now, and people like Michael Buble and Renee Olstead who are carrying on the big band tradition. But with losing as many great entertainers as we have lost, (oh, and I forgot to mention George Duke),it makes me realize the way the business as a whole has changed, the way the marketing has changed, and the way our entire world has changed, not to mention the fact that life is short, and we all have to make the most of it. These people will never be forgotten, and as strange as this may sound, I almost feel as if they were personal friends. There was an elegance and sophistication about them that will be greatly missed.
Now don’t get me wrong. There are many of today’s artists who I absolutely love whether they be country, jazz or pop. There are many great talents who have been discovered from shows like StarSearch, American Idol, and The Voice, to name a few.
But the people who I want to give special attention to today are people like Eydie Gorme, Sammy Davis, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Darin, and I could go on and on. They left us with something, I believe. A kind of sophistication and refinement that could only come from living in that time period. Even though we have come to the end of an era, I am thankful for the joy of the music that they left with us that will never die. A joy to treasure, something that will remain with those of us who knew them, so to speak. Their voices will always be with us. So will their stories, and also their memories. I’m thankful for the legacy that they left behind, their music that will continue to live on,and the memories to be cherished that noone can take away. Aren’t memories the best?