THE VOICE COACHING THAT  MADE MY CAREER

MARCH 2008

It's a beautiful day here, in St. Thomas, VI. It has been kinda hard getting my head around a "Tip," what with the three days of sailing on my friend JIm Herron's 36' Pearson sloop, the snorkeling and the tons of water drunk in this Caribbean  paradise (excluding the mosquitos).

With my friends Jim and Carol, I paid a visit to an Open Mike Night, at a Club here, two nights ago, and was reminded of myself, learning my craft at the Horn, a Night Club in Santa Monica, years ago. Most of the singers only made fleeting eye contact with the members of the audience--except friends--and mostly let their eyes roam randomly over our heads, while trying remember the words and the "vocal technique" they had been taught. 
 
I had gone to the Horn, to sing a few songs, because I had heard the "talent scouts often were there ..."  and ended up singing four. The owner, Rick
Riccardi, asked me if I were interested in singing "Summer Stock." 
"What's Summer Stock?" I innocently asked. (For the previous six years I had been a Submarine
Sonarman and a Pre-engineering student.) The nextday, I sang over the phone for an agent, who set  up an audition for the folloqing day, when I sang "I Got Plenty of Nuttin" ... and was in rehearsal for the Sacramento Music Circus three days later, in Show Business and in Actor's Equity Ass'n.

I went back to the Horn and sang there for a year--no pay, not even gas money--but Rick threw in one hour of coaching with Carlos Noble , the club's incredible accompanist, by way of Rick's "appreciation." (A few years later, the union moved in and made him pony-up for four and a half singer's salaries. a night.) Carlos was the best thing that had ever happened
Early on, while making a recording for the Lawrence
Welk show, Carlos jumped all over me for just making "what you think of as big beautiful sounds!" He felt I had a good voice but asked, "What are you saying? You are just singing sounds at the customers, not sharing with them the thoughts and ideas inherent in the the song you are singing, engaging them one at a time, nailing  each customer one on one, with eye contact ...  and grabbing them." What he hadn't voiced was the obvious impact this had of involving of the rest of the audience, who began to feel that you were talking to each of them as well! Carlos told me, at the time, it would take me five years to fully grasp the  significance of what he had told me ..

Five years and fifteen minutes later, I called him to share with him how insightful and helpful that advice proved to be for me.

At this point of my career, I had become a principal baritone at the New York City Opera and a crossover singer, to boot. I was singing Grand Opera for the bulk of the season and singing the leading roles, in Musicals and Operettas, in Summer Stock Companies, around the country.My ability to switch from the operatic voice to the pop/musical comedy repertoire, brought far more versatility to my symphony dates than most of my baritone colleagues could muster. (check out my singing of Granada and then ... Spring is Here, on the same Tonight Show with Johnny Carson ... Audio/ Visual page.) It proved to be a springboard in my career when Johnny
Reardon recommended me to replace him on a RCA Victor package, "Treasury of Operettas!" Reader's Digest.

And always remember ... every night is opeing night! RF



FEBRUARY 08 - WHAT ARE YOU SINGING?

JANUARY 08 -
VIBRATO/WOBBLE

DECEMBER 07 - BREATHING REVISITED

NOVEMBER  07 - HOW TO KILL A COLD IN FIVE DAYS

OCTOBER 07 - A BIT MORE SUPPORT

SEPTEMBER 07 - MORE SUPPORT

AUGUST 07 - INTRO & BREATHING/SUPPORT