Artist:Barbara Cook
Song:In Buddy's Eyes
Album:Legends of Broadway
Barbara Cook started out in the 50s as a Tony winning Broadway performer. In the 70s she concentrated on performing in New York clubs and recording solo. Either way, she's a Broadway legend. She was born Oct. 25, 1927 in Atlanta. Her parents divorced when she was a child. And her sister died from whooping cough. So Barbara was very close to her mother. While visiting New York City with her mother, Barbara decided to stay and find work as an actress. She started out singing in clubs. Her big break came when she played Ado Annie in a 1951 revival of Oklahoma and went on a national tour. Critics first noticed her in a 1954 revival of Carousel and then for a supporting role in Plain and Fancy. This led to a Tony for playing Marian the Librarian in the 1957 musical The Music Man. She also started to appear on TV. Her success continued in the 60s until she appeared in a couple of flops. As Barbara was struggling with obesity, depression and alcoholism, she couldn't get roles anymore in the 70s. After she quit drinking, she met pianist Wally Harper. He put a concert together and she debuted at Carnegie Hall Jan. 26, 1975. This became a very successful live album. Harper accompanied Barbara until his 2004 death. In Buddy's Eyes is from Stephen Sondheim's musical Follies. Barbara appeared in a 1985 performance of Follies with the New York Philharmonic. For the latter part of her career, Barbara performed mostly concerts and recorded for DRG Records. This budget comp from Sony Masterworks is a good intro to her music. After Harper died in 2004, Barbara continued to perform until 2010. She was a 2011 Kennedy Center honoree. Barbara Cook died on Aug. 8, 2017 at age 89. The next night Broadway marquee lights were dimmed for one minute in tribute. Here's Barbara Cook with Wally Fisher performing In Buddy's Eyes from the 2002 DVD Mostly Sondheim. The DVD is out of print but the entire concert can be streamed on YouTube.
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