[Dixielandjazz] When October Goes

Robert S. Ringwald ringwald@calweb.com
Sun, 18 Aug 2002 18:15:55 -0700


----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Ingle" <dingle@baldwin-net.com>
 Sent: Sunday, August 18, 2002 4:37 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Emily


>  Johnny Mercer, "our huckleberry friend," was certainly the ultimate
> lyricist, and in his long career he wrote with so many collaborators as to
> lose count. From Walter Donaldson to Henry Mancini, the list of musical
> partners is a long and varied one.
> I think the perfect pairing was that of Hoagy Carmichael. Here we had two
> "country boys" who could outslick the City Slickers any day in the week.
> By the way, perhaps the most unusual co-writer Mercer ever had was Barry
> Manilow. Mercer's widow Ginger found a lyric he'd penned but had never
been
> set to music.
> She asked Manilow to see if he could write music to go with it. While it
was
> no Billboard hit, it was a winning, if posthumously, addition to the
Mercer
> Songbook -- a bittersweet tune called "I hate to see October Come."
>

Bob Ringwald adds his 2 cents:

I first heard "When October Goes" (the correct title), when I was present at
a recording session in Los Angeles for the vocalist Claudette Stone.
Claudette sang it beautifully.

On the session was pianist Ray Sherman, George Van Eps guitar, Dave Stone
bass & Gene Estes drums.  Also in attendance, as a spectator was Pete
Rugolo.

The piece just knocked me out & has remained one of my all -time favorite
songs.

Bob

mr.wonderful@ringwald.com
Placerville, CA  USA