SING, SING, SING

 

Okay, so this post is unabashedly, about me.  I’m La Nightingail, after all and yes, I know I’ve spelled it wrong, but then again, my name isn’t spelled Gale. J

Anyway, singing is what I do and have always done – apparently, according to my mother, since I was 2 ½.  My first solo performance in front of a live audience occurred when I was 12 and sang “Put Another Nickel in the Nickelodeon” in front of my 6^th grade class.  That same year I also sang on stage in company with 11 other choral students chosen from other county schools, with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.  That was a pretty exciting moment, and from then on I was hooked on singing in front of an audience anywhere, anytime, for any reason.

I’ve sung our National Anthem for ballgames, I’ve sung and soloed with numerous choirs and choruses up and down the state.  I’ve sung in crazy variety shows and given my own concerts.  I sing around the house.  I just love to sing, period.

In my junior year in high school I sang “Many a New Day” from “Oklahoma” for our Jr. Varieties show.

Later that same year I had the lead in that year’s operetta, “Down in the Valley”.  Here I was singing a sad lament about Brack Weaver, my true love, who had been falsely accused of a crime he hadn’t committed and was slated to hang in the morning.  The show did not have a happy ending.

I was singing our National Anthem here with the Sixth Army Band from the Presidio in San Francisco in 1958.

Eventually I married and got kind of busy raising three children in the wilds of northern California. I married a forester and moved from the metropolitan suburbs of the San Francisco Bay Area to the woods and mountains which has been wonderful.  I love the woods and mountains - especially since I’ve always been able to find places to sing in them - in the small towns and communities within them.

Actually, within them as well.  I’ve been known to sing under a tree or two, or across a river, or walking down a lighted airstrip at night singing “Hello Dolly”.  I was informed this last might not have been the best of ideas as I’d never hear a plane coming in to land behind me.  But gosh . . . standing at the end of the air strip looking down at all those runway lights lit up, it was hard to resist.

 Here, at 7+ months along with our third child, I was up on stage singing in the crazy Gascapades variety show.  Nothing stopped me!

Six years after that, in 1978, we had moved to a new town, Oakhurst, CA.  I became active in their Golden Chain Theatre where old fashioned melodramas were performed throughout the summer.  In my first season with the group I teased my way through the audience singing “Oh, You Naughty, Naughty Men” between scenes of the featured play.

The following season I was onstage with “She’s Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage”

Followed by “Learning McFadden to Waltz” (Mc Fadden had big feet and had to pay his dancing instructor an extra $5. for dancing lessons.)  I sang my way across the stage with many another number: “I’d Rather Be an Old Man’s Darling Than a Young Man’s Slave”, “Waltz Me Around Again, Willie”, “She Done The Fandango All Over The Place”, “Tuner’s Opportunity”, “The Bowery”, “Mamie, the Cleptomamie”, “I Don’t Care”, “Golden Earrings” – wonderful old 1800s songs.

And then the acting bug bit, but my characters still got to sing.  Here I was playing with the poor bloke who becomes the villain’s victim singing “What Was Your Name in the States?” in the melodrama, “Ten Nights in a Barroom”

I was sad when we had to move and leave the Golden Chain behind, but I found new places to sing, of course.  Here I was soloing with the Pine Cone Singers – a group I’ve sung with for 40 years.  I’ve sung with many other groups over the years, but this is my favorite group and I’ll continue to sing with them as long as I can! 

The Pine Cone Singers singing our hearts out with a soulful version of the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel‘s “Messiah”.  I’m on the far left.  I wonder what he would have thought of this version of his marvelous work?  Hopefully he wasn’t turning over in his grave.  We loved doing this number as you can tell by all the smiling faces. J  Unfortunately I don’t have a recording of us doing it, but I did find a recording of another group doing it which I’ve included at the end of my post if you’re interested in hearing it.

:->

La Nightingail

This is a sample of the Pine Cone Singers taken from a “Dress Rehearsal” performance.  It was our first concert since COVID shut everything down.  It was to have been an afternoon concert in an amphitheater as COVID was still a factor for people in crowds so we figured doing an outdoor performance was a good idea.  Unfortunately the weather the day of the concert was 104˚ and the concert had to be canceled as even in the shade it was just too hot – not only for those of us singing, but for those just sitting in the audience as well.  Quite a disappointment after working so hard for weeks on our music.

So the next afternoon we invited family and friends to come to an indoor (where there was air conditioning!) informal performance.  It was great.  We were relaxed and just had fun before a friendly appreciative audience.  I have a short solo in the last number (“Goodnight My Someone”) It’s not my best singing, but it gives you an idea, sort of.  I was on the right in the second row back but all you can see of me occasionally is my silver-gray head.  Oh well. 

And I thought it would be nice to include a video of the song that inspired the title of my post.  Here’s to Benny Goodman and “Sing, Sing, Sing”.

And if you’re still up for another video, here’s the recording of the soulful version of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus done by another group. They had a little more accompaniment than we did.  We only had piano, drums, & bass, but it was enough!  Suggestion: While you listen to this, scroll back up to the photo of the Pine Cone Singers and imagine them singing it! J