The "Other" Snooky and the "Other" Ray

I told someone I was going to Snooky's funeral. They replied, "She died? That's sad. I loved 'Jersey Shore.'"

Well, what's sad is that Snooky Young, one of the great lead trumpeters of all time is being confused, for the moment, with a "star" from an MTV reality series. But it won't always be that way. Family and friends packed the Old North Church at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills last Wednesday to say goodbye to the real Snooky:



We at the BBAA feel especially fortunate that we were able to honor Snooky with our Golden Bandstand Award at the Big Band Reunion in 2005. Along with fellow honoree Louie Bellson, Snooky helped make a wonderful afternoon that we won't soon forget. If you were there, you know what I mean.

Love you madly too, Snooky.

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Another prominent musician who used to be mistaken at times for a musical counterpart of the same name is Ray Charles:

Okay, clearly he wasn't the singer of "What'd I Say." And for decades he has even billed himself as "The Other" Ray Charles. However, our Ray is a first-rate vocalist in his own right, as well as a songwriter, vocal arranger and conductor. In fact, Ray was immortalized in a 1974 novelty hit, "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)."

The song is basically a lung-busting list of pop/rock performers delivered in rap style but before there was rap. Ray's entry ("Ray Charles Singers," to be precise) is just the third from the top, so listen carefully:



How about that? And Ray never knew about the record until I brought it up to him a year or so ago. If you miss him the first time, freeze the video at the 10-second mark.

Meanwhile, Ray comments on our March 26 blog post in which we wondered if the recently deceased Hugh Martin might not have been the last living composer of a true standard in the pre-rock and roll edition of the Great American Songbook:

"You've overlooked 92-year-old Ervin Drake, who wrote or co-wrote, among other songs, 'I Believe,' 'It Was a Very Good Year' and 'The Father of Girls.' He also wrote the score to the musical version of 'What Makes Sammy Run' and provided lyrics for 'Perdido,' 'Tico Tico,' 'Good Morning Heartache' and 'Al-di-la.'"

An outstanding point, Ray. I'll admit I couldn't have named the writer(s) of "I Believe." And it was a pre-rock and roll song - from 1953 - so I stand corrected!

Thirteen Years On

Today we commemorate the 13th anniversary of Frank Sinatra's death with reminiscences by Herb Stark, a big band friend from Long Island:

"Here we are thirteen years since the passing of Frank Sinatra on May 14, 1998. But his music endures through performances that can be seen and heard in all entertainment formats. 

The first time I saw Frank was in the early 1940s at New York's Paramount Theatre; the movie was 'Our Hearts Were Young and Gay.' He was the lead vocalist with Jo Stafford and the Pied Pipers in the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. A couple of standout tunes featuring Frank were 'Oh! Look at Me Now' and 'Everything Happens to Me,' complete with a garish green spotlight to highlight the rail-thin figure that was part of Sinatra's persona. 

However, there was no denying that certain something in his voice that appealed to his male fans as well as the thousands of bobby-soxers who came to sit through five or six shows a day. His music lives on despite the attempt by 'American Idol' to honor Frank last year, which wound up a dismal failure. Alas, there was no performer who came close to doing justice to any of the songs associated with Sinatra. 

So it falls on veteran singers such as Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Bublé, Jane Monheit, plus shows on Sirius-XM satellite radio, to carry on the tradition of Ol' Blue Eyes' music. I fervently hope the younger generation will produce some talented singers who have studied the music of Frank Sinatra and in turn will honor the gift and pick up on the the classic pop music that was given to fans around the globe. Take a moment this day to remember the legend destined to live forever."

Thanks, Herb.

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I received an important-looking envelope in the mail this week, addressed to the president of the Big Band Academy. The return address said "Marsh U.S. Consumer, a service of Seabury & Smith, Inc." Offices on the 36th floor of the Heller International Building in Chicago. Well, I'd better open that envelope, hadn't I?

Associating the name "Marsh" with Marsh & McLennan, I figured the contents probably had something to do with insurance. Sure enough, it was a solicitation to buy event cancellation insurance.

For the next couple of minutes, I was treated to a sermon on how even the best plans are at the mercy of uncontrollable outside forces. Floods, fires, possibly the collapse or destruction of a hotel or meeting center. What would we do if our event were cancelled due to any of these circumstances? And there are always man-made disasters lurking around the corner: strikes, slowdowns, power failures and, yes, even terrorism. Almost makes you want to forget about getting out of bed, doesn't it?

Interestingly, poor ticket sales -- the fear of which is the primary reason why the BBAA hasn't launched a luncheon/concert since 2008 -- is not mentioned anywhere in the sales literature as a covered circumstance. No matter, though. Despite our desire to put on another show, I believe we've done the responsible thing by holding back during these last three years.

I started to get a little rankled. Where does an insurance giant get off sending event cancellation offers to big band organizations? Do they think people in the big band business are more likely to need that kind of insurance?

I'm insulted.