Corky Hale
Corky Hale (born July 3, 1936 in Freeport (Illinois) as Merrilyn Hecht ) is an American jazz musician ( harp , piano , vocals ) who also turned to easy listening and worked as a theater producer. As a harpist, she developed an exceptionally modern approach.
Live and act
Hale began playing the piano at the age of three and was trained from the age of seven at the Chicago Conservatory, where she also learned the concert harp. During her time at Stephens College , she decided to go to Hollywood as a musician ; she appeared on television in 1950 on the Freddy Martin Show. on. She soon worked (for four years) on the Liberace television show ; subsequently she accompanied Harry James and then worked with Frank Sinatra , Nat King Cole , Elkie Brooks and (as a pianist) with Billie Holiday , Clark Terry , Doc Severinsen and Mel Tormé .
Since 1956 she has released albums under her own name and was one of the pioneers of the jazz harp. She has also worked as a singer for the Ray Anthony and Jerry Gray orchestras . In the course of her further career she also appeared with Buddy Collette , Barbra Streisand , Tony Bennett , James Brown , George Michael and Björk and was a studio musician on recordings of Peggy Lee , Ella Fitzgerald , Anita O'Day , Kitty White , Judy Collins or Wade Marcus involved. In 2007 she performed as a pianist in Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops Orchestra .
Hale has also produced plays such as Give 'Em Hell, Harry (with Jason Alexander ), and Lullaby of Broadway (via Al Dubin ). She has been married to Mike Stoller since 1970 . In 2008 she was a juror at the World Soundtrack Awards , which are presented at the Ghent International Film Festival .
Discographic notes
- Gene Norman Presents Corky Hale (1956, with Buddy Collette, Howard Roberts , Larry Bunker, and Red Mitchell )
- Plays George Gershwin & Vernon Duke
- Harp beat
- Corky (1998, with the Don Bagley and Jimmy Haskell orchestras )
- I'm Glad There Is You (2009, with Sally Kellerman , Freda Payne , Ariana Savalas , Tricia Tahara , Brenna Whitaker )
Lexical entries
- Leonard Feather , Ira Gitler : The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-19-532000-X .
Web links
- Web presence with discography
- AllAboutJazz
- Corky Hale at Allmusic (English)
- Literature by and about Corky Hale in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ^ So Feather and Gitler
- ↑ Press release (BroadwayWorld)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hale, Corky |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Pike, Merrilyn |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz musician and musical theater producer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 3, 1936 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Freeport (Illinois) |