By Melissa Griegel
Photos by Melissa Griegel Photography
Debby Boone seems to have discovered the fountain of youth. With her aptly named show It’s Been a While…, Boone graced the 54 Below stage in a stunning silver sequined gown, looking timeless and gorgeous. Her February 26th and March 8th shows comprised her 54 Below debut, and her first solo show in New York City in over a decade. I was there for the March 8th cabaret.
You would never know “it’s been a while” since she has performed a cabaret. Under the direction of Richard Jay-Alexander, they crafted a selection of songs and stories that took us on a musical journey of her life. Boone spoke a little about her father, singer/actor Pat Boone, her maternal grandfather, country music star Red Foley, her husband Gabriel Ferrar, and more extensively, about her mother-in-law Rosemary Clooney.
After performing as a child with her sisters and her dad, Boone rose to solo fame in the 1970s with her record-breaking debut single “You Light Up My Life”. The song lasted 10 consecutive weeks as number one on the Billboard Hot 100, which was longer than any other song in Hot 100 history up to that point. In addition, the song earned Boone a Grammy Award for Best New Artist and an American Music Award for Favorite Pop Single of 1977. When she delighted the audience by singing “You Light Up My Life” towards the end of the show, she expressed her appreciation for the song and how it changed her life.
Although she began her career singing pop hits, Boone moved on to sing a wide variety of musical genres during her career including Country, Adult Contemporary, and Contemporary Christian, garnering a number one Country hit and two more Grammys for her Contemporary Christian music. Boone has also appeared in several musicals in New York, and her song choices at 54 Below reflected this amazingly diverse career. She began the show with “Tomorrow” from Annie and then moved into a cross-section of songs from different genres.
Boone showed off her personality and warmth during “It’s Been a Long, Long Time”, walking amongst the tables and greeting friends and fans. She told us to sit back and relax and enjoy the music because “We have you, this night, and the music”. A favorite performance of the evening was Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”. “I have some deep country roots,” she said, “you know who my dad is. But my real roots come from my mom, from her side. Her dad was a Country and Western singer from the Grand Ole Opry, and his name was Red Foley.” She showed a photo of her grandfather Red Foley and Rosemary Clooney together on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry many years before the two of them became linked by her marrying Clooney’s son.
“I am the proud daughter-in-law of the late, legendary, Rosemary Clooney,” she told us. She talked about her love for Clooney and the wonderful memories they shared. She played us an a cappella recording of Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” that Clooney recorded for her son Jordan, Clooney’s first grandchild. She credits her move into cabaret and the American Songbook to Clooney. In 2005, she released Reflections of Rosemary and has sung tributes to Clooney over the years. Boone sang a beautiful rendition of “Blue Skies” that would have made her mother-in-law proud, and she even included Clooney’s line “big finish” before the final notes.
Boone was really blessed to have so many amazing musicians in her life. In addition to all of the aforementioned musicians, she also gave a shout out to her mom. “One of the first, and most important influences in my musical influences was my mother,”she said. Her mom sang in four-part harmony with her sisters, which is something she taught Boone and her sisters. Since she was doing a solo act, but still wanted to share the beauty of a four-part harmony with us, she recorded herself singing the other three parts of “One Voice” by Barry Manilow so it could be played along with her singing live in the show.
Other highlights of the evening were a sultry and smooth rendition of “Fever” and a humorous song “Every Drummer Knows My Name”, a song that told the history of her life and musical journey. The on-stage band was led by musical director and pianist Quinn Johnson, with David Finke on bass, and Carmen Intorre Jr. on drums. Real stand-outs were David Mann on saxophone and Tony Kadleck on trumpets, with several songs featuring saxophone and trumpet solos. The gorgeous solo parts really added to the evening. Boone put on a fabulous cabaret and should not wait such a long time before delighting audiences with another one.
