Corky Hale

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Corky Hale (born July 3, 1936) is an American jazz harpist, pianist, flutist, and vocalist. [1] She has been a theater producer, political activist, restaurateur, and the owner of the Corky Hale women's clothing store in Los Angeles, California. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

On July 3, 1936, Hale was born Merrilyn Hecht in Freeport, Illinois. [4] She had learned piano, harp, flute, and cello by the time she was in her teens. [4] [5] She studied at the Chicago Music Conservatory and at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. [4]

At age 16, she enrolled in Stephens College, a school for young ladies, for her last year of high school. After graduation, she announced to her parents that she was moving to Hollywood to be a musician; her father sent her to nearby University of Wisconsin–Madison. After a year of college, she dropped out, again intending to move to Hollywood. A compromise with her parents led to becoming at student at UCLA.

She is Jewish. In a 1997 interview with SFGATE, she describes herself as a "Jewish princess who had a wonderful childhood".

Personal life

Corky Hall is married to Mike Stoller of the Leiber-Stoller songwriting team. [6] [7]

Career

During the 1950s, she was a studio musician in Hollywood, playing harp on albums by Chet Baker, June Christy, Ella Fitzgerald Anita O'Day, and Frank Sinatra. [8] She worked as a vocalist with Freddy Martin at the Coconut Grove in Los Angeles. [8] Jerry Gray invited her to perform with his band at Las Vegas, where she played piano for Billie Holiday and accompanied her on tour. [5] As a solo act, she recorded the album Corky Hale Plays George Gershwin and Vernon Duke with Buddy Collette, Howard Roberts, and Chico Hamilton. [8] On October 12, 1968, she accompanied Tony Bennett on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and sang a song by herself. [8] [9]

She has worked with Liberace, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Elkie Brooks, Tony Bennett, Billie Holiday, Harry James, Peggy Lee, James Brown, Spike Jones, George Michael and Björk. [2] [10] [11] Hale has also produced plays, including Give 'Em Hell, Harry, starring Jason Alexander and Lullaby of Broadway, a profile of the lyricist Al Dubin. She has appeared at Vibrato, Catalina Bar & Grill, Knickerbocker Saloon, The White House, and the Kennedy Center. [6] [12]

At the University of Wisconsin, Hale was one of the few white students to join the NAACP. She was a birth control teacher at Planned Parenthood in New York and is on the National Advisory Board of NARAL and on the board of WRRAP. [2] [13] She is an American Film Institute associate and is the founder of Angel Harvest, an organization which redistributes unused food from restaurants, hotels, and events to hungry and needy people in Los Angeles. [14]

Discography

As leader

As guest

References

  1. ↑ Wilson, John S. (1974-03-10). "CORKY HALE CHANGES FROM HARP TO PIANO". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  2. 1 2 3 Abcarian, Robin (2019-03-29). "Column: A couple of married musical legends who help save women, one abortion at a time". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  3. ↑ "Corky Hale Stoller (Performer)". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2023-04-09. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  4. 1 2 3 Chadbourne, Eugene. "Corky Hale". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  5. 1 2 Wilson, John S. (1984-12-14). "POP/JAZZ; JAZZ HARPIST BLENDS BLUES WITH SONGS OF CHRISTMAS". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  6. 1 2 Folven, Edwin (2018-12-13). "Corky Hale takes the stage in 'The Two Mrs. Stollers'". Beverly Press & Park Labrea News. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  7. ↑ Lacher, Irene (1996-01-16). "The Musical Man". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Myers, Marc (24 May 2012). "Corky Hale: The Swinging Harp". www.jazzwax.com. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  9. ↑ Allen, Erika (2015-02-25). "A Crime Reporter Teams Up With a (Comic Book) Crime Fighter". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  10. ↑ "Famed BMI Songwriter Mike Stoller and Wife Corky Hale Stoller "Stand By" Project Angel Food". BMI.com. 2016-05-11. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  11. ↑ Wilson, Michael (2015-02-21). "Spider-Man, in Sketch Form, Visits an 8-Year-Old Fan in Harlem". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  12. ↑ Wilson, John S. (1986-03-02). "JAZZ PIANOS: TRENNER AND HALE". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  13. ↑ "Corky Hale, Board Member | WRRAP". WRRAP: Women's Reproductive Rights Assistance Project. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  14. ↑ "Famed BMI Songwriter Mike Stoller and Wife Corky Hale Stoller "Stand By" Project Angel Food". BMI.com. 2016-05-11. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
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