September 23, 2023 at 8:00 pm
ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY is one America’s most gifted and prolific artists. A leading champion of the great American Songbook, she’s made her mark as a singer, pianist, composer, lyricist, arranger, actress, educator, TV host and producer. Voted by Broadwayworld.com as “Performer of the Year” and two years in a row as “Best Jazz Vocalist,” Ann is born entertainer. Her unique singing style that blends jazz and traditional pop, making her a mainstay in concert halls, theaters and jazz clubs as well as in the recording studio, on television, and in film. She is best known for Tony-nominated performance in the hit Broadway musical “Swing!” and for writing and singing the theme song to the hit TV series “The Nanny.” Callaway is a Platinum Award winning writer whose songs are featured on seven of Barbra Streisand’s recent CDs. The only composer to have collaborated with Cole Porter, she has also written songs with Carole King, Rolf Lovland, Amanda McBroom and Shelby Lynn to name a few. Callaway has shared the stage with great artists from many genres, including George Shearing, Dizzy Gillespie, Stevie Wonder, Dr. John, Liza Minnelli, Betty Buckley, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Audra McDonald, Harvey Fierstein, Ramsey Lewis, Kurt Elling and Michael Feinstein.
Callaway’s live performances showcase her warmth, spontaneous wit and passionate delivery of standards, jazz classics and originals. Ann has sung with the world’s top orchestras and big bands, has been a special guest performer with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall. Callaway’s performances and recordings have garnered her The Theater World Award, 15 MAC Awards, several Bistro Awards, The Mabel Mercer Award, The Johnny Mercer Award for Songwriting and The Blanton Peale Award for Positive Thinking.
“For sheer vocal beauty, no contemporary singer matches Ms. Callaway.” –Stephen Holden, The New York Times
“Great is one of the most over-used words in the dictionary but just as Ella Fitzgerald was the greatest jazz singer of her era, so too is the magnificent Ann Hampton Callaway of hers.” – Musical Theatre Review
BILLY STRITCH began his career in Houston, Texas, where he formed the vocal trio Montgomery, Plant and Stritch. The trio performed all over New York and Europe from 1983 until they disbanded in 1990. A chance meeting with Liza Minnelli in March of 1991 resulted in her asking him to create vocal arrangements for the record-breaking extravaganza Liza Stepping Out at Radio City Music Hall. In addition to his 25-year collaboration with as accompanist and opening act for Liza, Billy recently toured with the legendary Tony Bennett as Tony’s pianist and musical director. A solo entertainer in his own right, he has performed his own shows in concert halls and nightclubs across the country. Billy also serves as music director for such leading vocalists as Marilyn Maye, Linda Lavin, Linda Eder, Christine Ebersole and Paulo Szot. He is the co-writer of the Grammy-winning song “Does He Love You” recorded by Reba McEntire and Linda Davis. The single reached the number one spot on the Billboard Country music chart, winning a Grammy Award and selling in excess of five million copies along the way. Billy has arranged music for many top performers and created the arrangements for “Minnelli On Minnelli” and “Liza’s At The Palace”, both at Broadway’s famed Palace Theater. He was also seen onstage playing the role of Oscar in the Tony Award winning Broadway revival of “42nd Street” in 2001.
During Covid-19, Stritch created his own weekly Facebook live-stream show, “Billy’s Place,” celebrating the Great American Songbook with songs and stories from his varied career. He was one of the first artists to pivot into online performances, and even with the return of live performances he is continuing the show most every Thursday evening at 8:00 pm EST on his BILLY STRITCH Facebook page. He has recorded five solo CDs, and his latest CD release “Billy’s Place” (Club44 Records) is a collection of his favorite songs from these online concerts.
“Fever: A Peggy Lee Celebration:” Ann Hampton Callaway & Billy Stritch have created an exciting night of songs and stories in celebration of one of America’s most beloved artists, Peggy Lee. This show celebrates the 100th birthday of the trailblazing woman who gave the world “Fever” through six decades of iconic songs from sultry to sizzling. Fall under the spell of love songs from Peggy’s swinging Benny Goodman days through decades of hits from film and recordings that earned this iconic singer songwriter her powerhouse nickname, “The female Frank Sinatra.”
Stream The Focus Tracks From Ann’s New Record, “Fever: A Peggy Lee Celebration” on SoundCloud