The MVEer Monthly February, 2014 February Highlights Learning Everyone s Wrong But Me Coaching by Rob Mance Sunday and Monday, February 16 and 17 Banquet Highlights 2013 officially finishes out with the Annual Installation and Awards Banquet, held January 17th at the Westmoor Country Club. It was a night of celebration and memories as MVE members and Alumni gathered to reminisce about the past 25 years. Harry Hanson reminds of us of our beginnings. Charter member and The Father of the MVE Harry Hanson reminded us all of the values of what this great chorus was founded. Hard work, and a dedication to Musical Excellence. Events of the evening included the Installation of the 2014 Board of Directors, and the presentation of awards. Rookie Award Presented to: Justin Fermenich Do It Award Presented to: Dick Marcus President s Award Presented to: Randy Will The Russell A Foris Director s Award Presented to: Jim Ansay Barbershopper of the Year Presented to: Jim Schmidt Please congratulate these recipients, as their hard work and dedication to the chorus are an inspiration to us all.
Charter members of the Midwest Vocal Express Everyone s Wrong But Me with Lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Saul Chaplin Sammy Cahn (pictured) was nominated for more than 30 Oscars and won four times. His songs were recorded by virtually every major singer. And he wrote some of the best known of all popular songs. He was born Samuel Cohen in New York on June 18, 1913 into a family of Jewish immigrants from Polish Galicia, and spent his childhood on the Lower East Side. He attended Seward Park High School. Early on, he learned to play the violin, and from the time he was fourteen he played in local Bar Mitzvah bands. While still in his teens, he played the violin in pit bands of burlesque houses. He became friendly with fellow band-member, pianist Saul Chaplin, and they began writing songs together. At first they wrote specialty numbers for vaudeville acts. Then, in 1935 they wrote "Rhythm is our Business" for the Jimmy Lunceford Band. Lunceford recorded it, and it became the Lunceford Band's theme song. In 1936 they had another success with "Until the Real Thing Comes Along". In 1937, they adapted "Bei Mir Bist Du Shon", which they mistakenly believed to be a Yiddish folk song--it was actually a modern Yiddish theater song by Sholom Secunda--into English for the then-unknown Andrews Sisters. The Andrews Sisters had a huge hit with the song, and Cahn and Chaplin were on their way. On June 12, 1937 Cahn and Chaplin published Everyone s Wrong But You. It was written for the Grand New Terrace Revue, a production inspired by the Grand Terrace Revue that was a popular black musical show. It was recorded first by Chick Webb & his Orchestra with Ella Fitzgerald (Decca). Listen to her at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk--mh92usw In 1940, Cahn and Chaplin went to Hollywood. Soon they parted ways, and in 1942 Cahn began writing with Jules Styne. They would write songs together for 19 films between 1942 and 1951. Among their
songs were "I've Heard That Song Before" (1942); "I'll Walk Alone"(1944); "Saturday Night is the Loneliest Night of the Week"(1944); "It's The Same Old Dream" (1947); and "Time After Time" (1947). In 1948, for the Doris Day film Romance on the High Seas, they wrote "It's Magic" and "Put 'em in a Box, Tie 'em with a Ribbon". In 1947, Styne and Cahn wrote a successful Broadway musical High Button Shoes. Other results of Cahn's collaboration with Styne were "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow", "There Goes That Song Again", "The Things We Did Last Summer", and "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry". With music by Nicholas Brodzsky, Cahn wrote Mario Lanza's first hit "Be My Love"(1950). Working again with Jules Styne, Cahn won an Oscar for the title song of the 1954 film Three Coins in the Fountain. Sammy Cahn had been friendly with Frank Sinatra from Sinatra's early days with Tommy Dorsey, and many of his songs had been written for Sinatra's movies. In 1955, Sinatra introduced Cahn to composer Jimmy Van Heusen, beginning Cahn's last major collaboration. They wrote the title song for the 1955 Sinatra film The Tender Trap. Also in 1955, Cahn and Van Heusen wrote a TV musical version of Our Town, which starred Sinatra, Paul Newman, and Eva Marie Saint. It included "Love and Marriage". In 1957, Cahn and Van Heusen wrote "All The Way" for the Sinatra film The Joker Is Wild. It won Cahn his second Oscar. Several of Cahn and Van Heusen's songs were written as title songs for Sinatra albums, including 1957's "Come Fly With Me", 1958's "Only The Lonely", 1959's "Come Dance With Me" (and they also wrote that album's closing song, "The Last Dance"), 1959's "When No One Cares", and 1965's "September of My Years". They were the producers of Sinatra's 1959-60 television series. In 1959 came Sinatra's film A Hole in the Head, for which they wrote "High Hopes". The song won Cahn his third Oscar, and later (with a revised lyric) became John F. Kennedy's campaign song. In 1960, Sinatra recorded "The Second Time Around". Cahn won his fourth Oscar, and Van Heusen his third, in 1963 for "Call Me Irresponsible", from Papa's Delicate Condition. They wrote "My Kind of Town" for Sinatra's 1964 film Robin and the Seven Hoods. In 1965 Cahn and Van Heusen tried their hands at Broadway with the musical Skyscraper. The show was not a success, but it included "I'll Only Miss Her When I Think Of Her". Cahn long association with Frank Sinatra led to Sinatra's recording 89 of Cahn's songs, many of them more than once. He became a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. When his friend Johnny Mercer became ill, Mercer asked Cahn to take over as President of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1974, Cahn did a one-man show on Broadway called Words and Music. He performed it again on tour numerous times in the years that followed. Sammy Cahn died in Los Angeles, California on January 15, 1993.
Banquet Photos from Friday, January 17, 2014, a night of celebrating 25 years of the MVE.
Enjoying friends, family, and the fellowship of the MVE.
Congratulations to the newest Barbershopper of the Year and new President of the Midwest Vocal Express Jim Schmidt.
February 2014 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 Super Bowl & Groundhog s Day 3 at 7pm 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 at 7pm 16 All Day with Rob Mance 23 24 at 7pm 11 12 Board Meeting at 6:30pm 13 14 Valentine s Day 17 at 7pm, Coaching with Rob 18 19 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 15 I'm Glad He's A Barbershopper By Leota Watson (Editor: modified slightly) As the wife of a Barbershopper, who never missed one meeting, In all of twenty thirteen, I send you this greeting. How did he do it? His secret I'll tell; His whole heart was in it, and his wife's heart as well! Why do I support him? That s easy to see; His barbershopping has made him a better husband to me! His step has more spring, his spirit more zing! His heart is much lighter, he even hugs tighter. His notes ring truer, his grumbles are fewer; His eyes look much bluer, Even his jokes now are newer! Weeks with him are less harried, his interests more varied; New friendships galore, who could ask for more? Who wouldn't support such a good looking guy? When his voice lifts with others, their limits the sky! As they stand on the risers, bedecked in their splendor, They're great harmonizers as though run through a blender! I feel shivers down my neck and all through my spine, And I am glad that Barbershopper is truly... ALL MINE!