Al Siegel | |
|---|---|
 Al Siegel, circa 1960 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | circa 1899 |
| Origin | New York City, New York, United States |
| Died | July 25, 1981 |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, businessman |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
Al Siegel was a Canadian musician and businessman. He owned the Elmwood Casino, Windsor Raceway and the Blue Room in Toronto. [1] Siegel was also the owner of a Canadian jukebox business. [2]
Siegel was a pianist for Bee Palmer during the 1920s. They were married on March 3, 1921, in Davenport, Iowa while Palmer was on a Vaudeville tour in the Midwest. The secret ceremony took place "at a judge’s office in the local Masonic Temple." Palmer was a singer and dancer who was sometimes credited as the creator of the shimmy dance. [3]
In October 1921, Siegel filed a $250,000 lawsuit against Jack Dempsey, the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1919 to 1926. Siegel claimed that Dempsey lured Palmer away from him while she was with Dempsey on the Orpheum Circuit. [4] Dempsey denied the accusation. Palmer and Siegel separated for a time because of the controversy. They later made up in February 1922. The lawsuit was eventually dropped after their short separation. Siegel, with Palmer, performed at different venues around Chicago, including the Sherman House Hotel, Granada Theatre and Marbro Theatre. Palmer later divorced Siegel in 1928. [5] He soon afterward got involved with Ethel Merman. Siegel was "her coach and accompanist." The complicated and difficult romance of Siegel and Palmer was almost turned into a movie. Even though screenwriter Leo Katcher completed the script for the film, production efforts ceased for some reason.
Siegel was in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1927 as a performer. He was in the ensemble in Here’s Howe. He was also in the ensemble in Happy Go Lucky. Siegel was a part of at least three recordings in 1924. He played the piano during the making of those records. [6]
One of Siegel’s major career accomplishments, as a musician, involved Ethel Merman and the role that she played in the George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin musical, Girl Crazy, held at the Alvin Theatre in 1930-31. [7] It was Merman’s debut Broadway performance. Her powerful voice and overwhelming presence on stage delighted the audience. Siegel helped her during her rehearsals for the production. He was also supposed to be the onstage pianist for the opening night performance, but became ill and was replaced by the pit pianist Roger Edens. Siegel got billing and credit for the production. [8] He also did all of Merman’s vocal arrangements, including I Got Rhythm.
Siegel, Merman’s “shady pianist-manager,” helped her develop her unique style by helping her choose “better material” and by arranging it for her in an exciting way. [9] Before Siegel came along, her amazing voice was the only thing that made her unique. [10] Siegel later did claim that Merman became a star because of him, a claim that she denied. [11] Ethel Merman performed at Al Siegel’s Elmwood Casino several years after they parted ways in the early 1930s.
Siegel opened the Elmwood Casino in 1946. During its heyday, it was known as the “Showspot of Canada.” Danny Raskin stated in an article in The Detroit Jewish News that the Elmwood “was considered a major stomping ground for show biz greats. If you didn't play Al Siegel’s Elmwood Casino, you hadn't hit the big time yet.” [12]
Siegel played sort of an encouraging role during the early days of Bob Newhart’s career. Newhart stated in the first chapter of his book, I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!: And Other Things That Strike Me as Funny, that he “tanked onstage” during his one-week engagement at Siegel’s Elmwood Casino. [13] At the end of the fifth performance, “when [Newhart] was feeling totally deflated,” Siegel approached him backstage. “He patted me on the back,” stated Newhart. Siegel then invited him to perform sometime at his Blue Room nightclub in Toronto. Newhart, stammering, thanked Siegel. [14] In David Steinberg’s book, Inside Comedy, Newhart stated that poor performance at the Elmwood “‘almost drove me back to accounting.’” [15]
The Elmwood was opened for almost 30 years. Due to financial problems, Siegel voluntarily filed for bankruptcy and closed the nightclub in December 1974.
Siegel died July 25, 1981, in Laguna Beach, California. He was 82 years old.
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and An American in Paris (1928), the songs "Swanee" (1919) and "Fascinating Rhythm" (1924), the jazz standards "Embraceable You" (1928) and "I Got Rhythm" (1930), and the opera Porgy and Bess (1935), which included the hit "Summertime".
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and her leading roles in musical theater, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." She performed on Broadway in Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy, and Hello, Dolly!
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1927.
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1932.
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music by Irving Berlin and a book by Dorothy Fields and her brother Herbert Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley (1860–1926), a sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West, and her romance with sharpshooter Frank E. Butler (1847–1926).
Crazy for You is a romantic comedy musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy", it is largely based on the songwriting team's 1930 musical Girl Crazy, but also incorporates songs from several other productions. It won the 1992 Tony Award (Broadway), the 1993 Olivier Award (London), and the 1994 Dora Award (Toronto) for Best Musical.
A cast recording is a recording of a stage musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording or OCR, as the name implies, features the voices of the show's original cast. A cast recording featuring the first cast to perform a musical in a particular venue is known, for example, as an "original Broadway cast recording" (OBCR) or an "original London cast recording" (OLCR).
Arthur Schwartz was an American composer and film producer, widely noted for his songwriting collaborations with Howard Dietz.
Call Me Madam is a Broadway musical written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.
Girl Crazy is a 1930 musical by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in the first production and co-lead Ginger Rogers became an overnight star. Rich in song, it follows the story of Danny Churchill who has been sent to fictional Custerville, Arizona, to manage his family's ranch. His father wants him there to focus on matters more serious than alcohol and women but Danny turns the place into a dude ranch, importing showgirls from Broadway and hiring Kate Forthergill as entertainer. Visitors come from both coasts and Danny falls in love with the local postmistress, Molly Gray.
Panama Hattie is a 1940 American musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Herbert Fields and B. G. DeSylva. The musical is about a nightclub owner, Hattie Maloney, who lives in the Panama Canal Zone and ends up dealing with both romantic and military intrigue. The title is a play on words, referring to the popular Panama hat.
"I Got Rhythm" is a piece composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and published in 1930, which became a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as the "rhythm changes", is the foundation for many other popular jazz tunes such as Charlie Parker's and Dizzy Gillespie's bebop standard "Anthropology ".
Harry Akst was an American songwriter, who started out his career as a pianist in vaudeville accompanying singers such as Nora Bayes, Frank Fay and Al Jolson.
"You're Just in Love" is a popular song by Irving Berlin. It was published in 1950 and was first performed by Ethel Merman and Russell Nype in Call Me Madam, a musical comedy that made its debut at the Imperial Theatre in New York City on October 12 that year. The show ran for 644 performances. Ethel Merman also later starred in the 1953 film version, with Donald O'Connor. Theatre lore has it that Berlin wrote the song one night after Call Me Madam was not doing well in tryouts. The second act of the show was lacking. "What I'd like to do is a song with the kid ," Merman said. So, Berlin went to his room and later produced the counterpoint song. When Berlin played the song for Merman, she said, "We'll never get off the stage." Reportedly, Berlin played the song for Russell Nype first, but admonished him not to admit he did so because it would infuriate Merman.
"Sam and Delilah" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Ethel Merman in the 1930 musical Girl Crazy. The song is an interpretation of the biblical story of Samson and Delilah in the Book of Judges of the Hebrew Bible.
Beatrice C. "Bee" Palmer was an American singer and dancer born in Chicago, Illinois.
Peter Matz was an American musician, composer, arranger and conductor. His musical career in film, theater, television and studio recording spanned fifty years, and he worked with a number of prominent artists, including Marlene Dietrich, Noël Coward and Barbra Streisand. Matz won three Emmys and a Grammy Award and is best known for his work on Streisand's early albums as well as for his work as the orchestral conductor and musical director for The Carol Burnett Show.
Manhattan is the original motion picture soundtrack to Woody Allen's 1979 film Manhattan with music by George Gershwin. It was performed by the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas. It was nominated for Best Soundtrack in the 33rd British Academy Film Awards.
The Elmwood Casino, once known as the "Showspot of Canada," was a nightclub situated on Dougall Avenue in Windsor, Ontario. It was located not far from Detroit, just across the Detroit River.