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| Marlene VerPlanck celebrates her 20th CD Vocalist Marlene VerPlanck celebrates her 20th CD, "Once There Was a Moon, " at a free concert at Manhasset Public Library, 30 Onderdonk Road, on Sunday, February 22, from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. and at The Baha'i Center, The John Birks Gillespie Auditorium, 53 West 11th Street, on Tuesday, February 24, at 8:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Joining Ms. VerPlanck at The Baha'i Center will be Tedd Firth, piano; Steve LaSpina, bass; and Ron Vincent, drums. Throughout her career, Marlene VerPlanck has stuck to her guns, paying loving care to the great standards and new songs from our finest composers. Songwriter Hugh Martin ("Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas") expressed it well: "We know our songs are safe in the hands of Marlene VerPlanck, and she will sing them better than anyone else." Millions of people first heard Marlene's crystal-clear voice anonymously, on radio and television, when she touted the merits of dozens of commercial products, including "Mm-mm good, mm-mm good, that's what Campbell's Soups are..." However, she got her start in the big-band business, as a very young vocalist with Charlie Spivak and Tex Beneke. During a brief stint with the last Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, she met her future husband, musician-arranger Billy VerPlanck. In time, Marlene became one of the nation's busiest studio singers, backing up vocalists ranging from Frank Sinatra and Mel Tormé to Kiss. Following appearances on Alec Wilder's historic National Public Radio series, "American Popular Songs, " in the 1970s, Marlene emerged as a leading solo performer. Appearances at Carnegie Hall, Michael's Pub and the Rainbow Room brought rave notices, and national TV shows, including "Entertainment Tonight, " "The Today Show" and CBS's "Sunday Morning, " featured profiles of the increasingly popular singer. Today, Marlene performs across North America and Europe, featuring music from her 20 critically-acclaimed solo CDs. The albums include exciting arrangements scored by her husband, Billy VerPlanck, with accompaniment by many of America's finest musicians. In addition to her Audiophile albums, Marlene joined Mel Tormé and Julius LaRosa with the Glenn Miller Orchestra on "In a Digital Mood, " the first big-band CD to go gold. Also, at the personal request of Richard Adler, the renowned composer of "Damn Yankees" and "The Pajama Game, " Marlene recorded some of Adler's most memorable music on "You Gotta Have Heart: The Songs of Richard Adler." write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |