Broadway
Larry Blank was greatly influenced by attending Broadway musicals with his parents as a kid. As a result he studied drama yet realized he wanted to be a musician. Larry played piano growing up and as a teenager had opportunities to perform for small musical shows. Word soon spread of his abilities...
Jonathan Tunick’s impressive career began with taking piano lessons as a kid and later learning the clarinet and saxophone. Attending LaGuardia Performing Arts High School and working with his teacher and theater director Joseph Adler helped propel his talents into a career. While working on...
Brenda Russell had a series of hit R&B recordings in the 1970s, 80s and 90s including “Piano In The Dark” and “So Good, So Right.” The success of her recording career as a singer led to her songwriting career, which included penning the musical score for the Broadway version of The Color Purple...
Allee Willis wrote a number of successful songs that have become part of the fabric of pop music. Allee either wrote or co-wrote songs such as “September” by Earth Wind & Fire, the theme for the sitcom Friends entitled “I’ll Be there for You,” the Broadway musical The Color Purple, and "Neutron...
Stephen Pearl was inspired while working with Irv Kratka at Music Minus One to create a series of recordings of Broadway musicals that would provide background music for singers. In 1997, his newly formed company, Stage Star Records, released its first product, recordings for the musical The...
Mark Sendroff grew up close to downtown New York and at a young age fell in love with Broadway shows. Following his love of the theater and interest in the law, Mark became one of only a few lawyers specializing in theater in New York. While his practice has grown over the years, so has his...
Michael Brettler is the current president of Shapiro, Bernstein & Company, which has been in his family for four generations. Michael’s interview was completed on the 100th anniversary of the famed music publisher’s beginnings in New York City. Over the years, Shapiro, Bernstein & Company...
Viola Smith Viola played drums in a number of big bands and small combos during her career in music. She joined Phil Spitalny's all-female orchestra as the drummer and later appeared in such films as 1945's "Here Come the Co-Eds" featuring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. In the 1960s she joined the...
Joe Bergamini is a Broadway and rock band drummer who began writing about the art of percussion for magazines before becoming the Senior Drum Editor for Hudson Music. His own publications include “Turn It Up and Lay It Down” published by Alfred, “Drumming Out of the Shadows” published by Carl...
Ted Chapin has many stories about the music industry, making his June 2010 interview fascinating. As president of Rodgers & Hammerstein Music since 1985 he spoke of the growth and development of Broadway publishing. As the son of a Steinway (his mother was a Steinway and her famous brothers...