by GM

As far as I can recall, my childhood memories are rich with my dad crooning along to tunes by Ol’ Blue Eyes (especially the earlier songs of Frank when my dad would rhapsodize over Frank’s impeccable phrasing and sublime timing);  or tapping to the beat of cool Bing Crosby and Frank’s duet “What A Swell Party This Is”;  or robustly singing along with the rich baritones of Howard Keel, Gordon McRae, not to mention the ever suave Nat King Cole and Danny Kaye. “Five Pennies” was and continues to be a hit among us kids.

I fondly remember the occasions he would ebulliently show off his broadway artistic side as he paid homage to the unbeatable team of Rodgers & Hammerstein, or his favourite Cole Porter and Gershwin melodies. We have heard him belt out the start of Presley’s Jailhouse Rock or the chorus of Am All Shook Up; watched him rock to the Beatles and waved an invisible baton to Beethoven, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Mozart or Rachmaninoff as if he were conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra or the Boston Pops.

It was no wonder my sisters and I developed a broad definitely eclectic range of appreciation for music – from classical, broadway, jazz to rock, rhythm and blues, pop and even alternative music.  

His all time favourites will always be the standards and broadway musicals. The reason? Well, I believe my dad is a romantic at heart. To this day he will say no one writes love songs with such  lyrical and elegant beauty as they did in the golden age of musicals and the bygone era of timeless Sinatra standards.

Back when he was a student in medical school, so enthralled was my father with these songs that he used to fill the back pages of his notebook with little scribbles of bits of songs from Oklahoma, Carousel, Showboat, King and I and other classics. Personally I think his attention span was too short; probably he was easily distracted and maybe a bit bored with the dry lectures. Well those little scribbles made an impression on a young lass (yes, my mom) who initially thought they were his own compositions. I guess once she found out that they were broadway songs and my dad could actually sing them - they only added to his appeal. This proved to me Sinatra’s tunes had that “ol black magic” working on my mom which definitely had her ”bewitched, bothered and bewildered”…

So that was how my father charmed my mother….with music….beautiful lyrics…here is a favourite song that my dad loves to sing and I am certain it brings a lot of wonderful memories for my folks….

With a song in my heart I behold your adorable face

Just a song at the start but it soon is a hymn to your grace.

When the music swells I’m touching your hand

It tells that you’re standing near, and…

At the sound of your voice heaven opens her portals to me.

Can I help but rejoice that a song such as ours came to be?

But I always knew I would live life through with a song in my heart for you.

“HAPPY 45TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! I KNOW IT’S MONTHS AHEAD YET BUT THIS IS YOUR YEAR SO I SAY CELEBRATE THE WHOLE YEAR LONG!! “

MUCH LOVE FROM ALL OF US …YOUR DAUGHTERS, SONS-IN-LAW & GRAND DAUGHTERS