Harry Connick, Jr.

Harry Connick, Jr.
Connick at Tulane University May 16, 2009
Background information
Birth name	Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr.
Born	September 11, 1967 (1967-09-11) (age 43)
Origin	New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres	Swing, traditional pop, big band, jazz-funk
Occupations	Singer, pianist, actor, composer, comedian
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	1977–present
Labels	Adco Productions (1977–1979) Columbia Records (1979–present) Marsalis Music (2003–present)
Website	HarryConnickJr.com

Harry Connick, Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, actor, composer, and pianist. Connick has sold over 25 million albums worldwide.^[1] He is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with 16 million certified albums.^[2] He has seven top-20 U.S. albums, and ten number-one U.S. jazz albums, earning more number-one albums than any other artist in the US jazz chart history.^[3] Connick's best selling album in the US is his 1993 Christmas album When My Heart Finds Christmas, which also is one of the best selling Christmas albums in the United States. His highest charting album, is his 2004 release Only You which reached #5 in the US and #6 in the UK. He has won three Grammy awards and one Emmy Award. He played Grace's husband Dr. Leo Markus on the TV sitcom Will & Grace from 2002 to 2006.

Connick began his acting career as a tail gunner in the World War II film Memphis Belle in 1990. He played a serial killer in Copycat in 1995, before being cast as jet fighter pilot in the 1996 blockbuster Independence Day. Connick's first role as a leading man was in 1998's Hope Floats with Sandra Bullock. His first thriller film since Copycat came in 2007, when he played the violent ex-husband in Bug, before two romantic comedies, 2007's P.S. I Love You, and the leading man in New in Town with Renée Zellweger in 2009.

Early life

Harry Connick, Jr. was born as Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr.^[4] in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Sr., who was the district attorney of Orleans Parish from 1977–2003, and Anita (née Livingston; May 22, 1926 — July 1981), a lawyer and judge in New Orleans and, later, a Louisiana Supreme Court justice.^[5][6] His parents also owned a record store. Connick, Jr.'s father is Irish American, and Connick, Jr.'s mother, who died from ovarian cancer, was Jewish.^[7][8] Connick, Jr. has a sister, Suzanna; the siblings were raised in the Lakeview neighborhood of New Orleans. Connick's musical talents soon came to the fore when he started learning the keyboards at the age of three, played publicly at age six and recorded with a local jazz band at ten.^[9]

When Connick, Jr. was nine years old, he performed the Piano Concerto No. 3 Opus 37 of Beethoven with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra (now the Louisiana Philharmonic) and later played a duet with Eubie Blake at the Royal Orleans Esplanade Lounge in New Orleans. The song was "I'm Just Wild About Harry". This was recorded for a Japanese documentary called Jazz Around the World.^[9][10] The clip was also shown in a Bravo special, called Worlds of Harry Connick, Jr. in 1999. His musical talents were developed at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and under the tutelage of Ellis Marsalis and James Booker.

Connick attended Jesuit High School, Isidore Newman School as well as New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, in New Orleans.

Following an unsuccessful attempt to study jazz academically, and having given recitals in the classical and jazz piano programs at Loyola University, Connick moved to the 92nd Street YMHA in New York City to study at Hunter College and the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, where a Columbia Records executive persuaded him to sign with that label. His first record for the label, Harry Connick Jr., was a mainly instrumental album of standards. He soon acquired a reputation in jazz because of extended stays at high-profile New York venues. His next album, 20, featured his vocals and added to this reputation.

Career

When Harry Met Sally..., chart and movie success

With Connick's growing reputation, director Rob Reiner asked him to provide a soundtrack for his 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally..., starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. The soundtrack consisted of several standards, including "It Had to Be You", "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", and achieved double-platinum status in the United States. He won his first Grammy for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance for his work on the soundtrack.

Connick made his screen debut in Memphis Belle (1990), about a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crew in World War II. In that year, he began a two-year world tour. In addition, he released two albums in July 1990: the instrumental jazz trio album Lofty's Roach Souffle and a big-band album of mostly original songs titled We Are in Love, which also went double platinum. We Are in Love earned him his second consecutive Grammy for Best Jazz Male Vocal.

"Promise Me You'll Remember", his contribution to the Godfather III soundtrack, was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. In a year of recognition, he was also nominated for an Emmy for Best Performance in a Variety Special for his PBS special Swingin' Out Live, which was also released as a video. In October 1991, he released his third consecutive multi-platinum album, Blue Light, Red Light, on which he wrote and arranged the songs. In October 1991, he starred in Little Man Tate, directed by Jodie Foster, playing the friend of a child prodigy who goes to college.

Connick was arrested in 1992 and charged with having a 9mm pistol in his possession at JFK International Airport. After spending a day in jail, he agreed to make a public-service television commercial warning against breaking gun laws. The court agreed to drop all charges if Connick stayed out of trouble for six months. In November 1992, Connick released 25, a solo piano collection of standards that again went platinum. He also re-released the album Eleven. Connick contributed "A Wink and a Smile" to the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack, released in 1993. His multi-platinum album of holiday songs, When My Heart Finds Christmas, was the best-selling Christmas album in 1993.

Flirtation with funk in the mid-1990s

In 1994, Connick decided to branch out. He released She, an album of New Orleans funk that also went platinum. In addition, he released a song called "(I Could Only) Whisper Your Name" for the soundtrack of The Mask, starring Jim Carrey, which is his most successful single in the United States to date.

Connick took his funk music on a tour of the United Kingdom in 1994, an effort that did not please some of his fans, who were expecting a jazz crooner. Connick also took his funk music to the People's Republic of China in 1995, playing at the Shanghai Center Theatre. The performance was televised live in China for what became known as the Shanghai Gumbo special. In his third film Copycat, Connick played a serial killer. Released in 1995, Copycat also starred Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver. The following year, he released his second funk album, Star Turtle, which did not sell as well as previous albums, although it did reach No. 38 on the charts. However, he appeared in the most successful movie of 1996,^[11] Independence Day, with Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum.

Back to basics: return to jazz and Hope Floats

For his 1997 release To See You, Connick recorded original love songs, touring the United States and Europe with a full symphony orchestra backing him and his piano in each city. As part of his tour, he played at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, with his final concert of that tour in Paris being recorded for a Valentine's Day special on PBS in 1998. He also continued his film career, starring in Excess Baggage opposite Alicia Silverstone and Benicio del Toro in 1997.

In May 1998, he had his first leading role in director Forest Whitaker's Hope Floats, with Sandra Bullock as his female lead. He released Come By Me, his first album of big band music in eight years in 1999, and embarked on a world tour visiting the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia. In addition, he provided the voice of Dean McCoppin in the animated film The Iron Giant.

2000–2002: Broadway debut, musicals, Will & Grace

Connick wrote the score for Susan Stroman's Broadway musical Thou Shalt Not, based on Émile Zola's novel Thérèse Raquin, in 2000; it premiered in 2001. His music and lyrics garnerned a Tony Award nomination. He was also the narrator of the film My Dog Skip, released in that year.

In March 2001, Connick starred in a television production of South Pacific with Glenn Close, televised on the ABC network. He also starred in his twelfth movie, Mickey, featuring a screenplay by John Grisham that same year. In October 2001, he again released two albums: Songs I Heard, featuring big band re-workings of children's show themes, and 30, featuring Connick on piano with guest appearances by several other musical artists. Songs I Heard won Connick another Grammy for best traditional pop album and he toured performing songs from the album, holding matinees at which each parent had to be accompanied by a child.

In 2002, he received a U.S. Patent 6,348,648 for a "system and method for coordinating music display among players in an orchestra."^[12] Connick appeared as Grace Adler's boyfriend (and later husband) Leo Markus on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace from 2002 to 2006.

2003–2005: Connick on Piano and Only You

In July 2003, Connick released his first instrumental album in fifteen years, Other Hours Connick on Piano Volume 1. It was released on Branford Marsalis's new label Marsalis Music and led to a short tour of nightclubs and small theaters. Connick appeared in the film Basic. In October 2003, he released his second Christmas album, Harry for the Holidays, which went gold and reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200 album chart. He also had a television special on NBC featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, Marc Anthony and Kim Burrell. Only You, his seventeenth album for Columbia Records, was released in February 2004. A collection of 1950s and 1960s ballads, Only You, went Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic and was certified gold in the United States in March 2004. The Only You tour with big band went on in America, Australia and a short trip to Asia. Harry for the Holidays was certified platinum in November 2004. A music DVD Harry Connick Jr. — "Only You" in Concert was released in March 2004, after it had first aired as a Great Performances special on PBS. The special won him an Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction. The DVD received a Gold & Platinum Music Video — Long Form awards from the RIAA in November 2005.

An animated holiday special, The Happy Elf, aired on NBC in December 2005, with Connick as the composer, the narrator, and one of the executive producers. Shortly after, it was released on DVD. The holiday special was based on his original song The Happy Elf, from his 2003 album Harry for the Holidays. Another album from Marsalis Music was recorded in 2005, Occasion : Connick on Piano, Volume 2, a duo album with Harry Connick, Jr. on piano together with Branford Marsalis on saxophone. A music DVD, A Duo Occasion, was filmed at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival 2005 in Canada, and released in November 2005.

He appeared in another episode of NBC sitcom Will & Grace in November 2005, and appeared in an additional three episodes in 2006.

2006–2008: The Pajama Game, Bug and P.S. I Love You

Harry Connick, Jr. in concert, Savannah, Georgia, Feb 27, 2007

Bug, a film directed by William Friedkin, is a psychological thriller filmed in 2005, starring Connick, Ashley Judd, and Michael Shannon. The film was released in 2007. He starred in the Broadway revival of The Pajama Game, produced by the Roundabout Theater Company, along with Michael McKean and Kelli O'Hara, at the American Airlines Theatre in 2006. It ran from February 23 to June 17, 2006, including five benefit performances running from June 13 to June 17. The Pajama Game cast recording was nominated for a Grammy, after being released as part of Connick's double disc album Harry on Broadway, Act I.

He hosted The Weather Channel's mini series 100 Biggest Weather Moments which aired in 2007. He was part of the documentary Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037, released in November 2007. He sat in on piano on Bob French's 2007 album Marsalis Music Honors Series: Bob French. He appeared in the film P.S. I Love You, released in December 2007. A third album in the Connick on Piano series, Chanson du Vieux Carré was released in 2007, and Connick has received two Grammy nominations for the track "Ash Wednesday", for the upcoming Grammy awards in 2008. Chanson du Vieux Carré was released simultaneously with the album Oh, My NOLA. Connick toured North America and Europe in 2007, and will be touring Asia and Australia in 2008, as part of his My New Orleans Tour. Connick did the arrangements for, wrote a couple of songs, and sings a duet on Kelli O'Hara's album that was released in May 2008.^[13] He was also the featured singer at the Concert of Hope immediately preceding Pope Benedict XVI's Mass at Yankee Stadium in April 2008. He had the starring role of Dr. Dennis Slamon in the 2008 Lifetime TV film Living Proof. His third Christmas album, What a Night!, was released in November 2008.

2009–present: New in Town, Your Songs

Harry Connick, Jr. and Renée Zellweger at the Rachael Ray show, January 30, 2009.

The film New in Town starring Connick and Renée Zellweger, began filming in January 2008, and was released in January 2009. Connick's album Your Songs was released on CD, September 22, 2009. In contrast to Connick's previous albums, this album is a collaboration with a record company producer, the multiple Grammy Award winning music executive Clive Davis.^[1]

American Idol

Connick appeared on the May 4, 2010 episode of American Idol where he acted as a mentor for the top 5 finalists. He appeared again on the May 5 episode of the talent show where he performed "And I Love Her".

Touring Big Band members

The following musicians have toured as the Harry Connick, Jr., Big Band since its inception in 1990:^[14]

• Piano and vocals – Harry Connick, Jr.
• Drums – Shannon Powell, Duffy Jackson, Arthur Latin II, (Winard Harper, Jeff "Tain" Watts – subs)
• Bass – Ben Wolfe, Neal Caine
• Lead trumpet – Roger Ingram, (Dave Stahl, Walter White, Walt Johnson – subs)
• 2nd trumpet – Dan Miller, Derek Gardner, Bijon Watson, Sal Cracchiolo (Earl Gardner, Greg Gisbert, Darryl Shaw – subs)
• 3rd trumpet – Jeremy Davenport, Joe Magnarelli, Mark Braud
• 4th trumpet – Leroy Jones, Mark Braud
• Lead alto saxophone – Brad Leali, Mike Smith, Jon Gordon, Ned Goold, (Geoff Burke – sub)
• 2nd alto saxophone – Mark Sturbank, Will Campbell, Ned Goold
• 1st tenor saxophone – Jerry Weldon, (Geoff Burke – sub)
• 2nd tenor saxophone – Jimmy Greene, Ned Goold
• Baritone saxophone – Dave Schumacher (Howard Johnson – sub)
• Clarinet – Louis Ford
• Lead trombone – Mark Mullins, John Allred, Jeff Bush
• 2nd trombone – Craig Klein, John Allred
• 3rd trombone – Lucien Barbarin, Craig Klein
• Bass trombone – Joe Barati
• Vocals, trombone, percussion – Lucien Barbarin

Reaction to "Hey, Hey its Saturday" Jackson Jive sketch

On October 7, 2009, Connick appeared on the live Australian television comedy hour Hey Hey It's Saturday 20th Anniversary special. Connick was a guest on the judging panel for the "Red Faces" amateur talent segment, renowned for its comedic mix of parody, slapstick and frankly woeful performance. For their "Red Faces" act, a group known as the Jackson Jive reprised their parody of the Jackson Five, an act that they had performed on the original run twenty years earlier. The group, six Sydney doctors -of mixed ethnic background – donned afro wigs and blackface make-up to perform The Jacksons' hit "Can You Feel It". After fellow judge Red Symons banged the gong used to halt poor performances, Connick gave the group a score of zero out of ten. Connick stated that such a performance would not have been aired in America, saying "Man, if they turned up looking like that in the United States, then it would be hey hey, there's no more show." Returning from commercial, host Daryl Somers apologized for any offence and Connick stated "I just want to say, on behalf of my country, I know it was done humorously, and I don't want to bring the show to a down level, but we have spent so much time trying to make black people not look like buffoons that when we see stuff like that we take it really to heart. ...If I knew that was going to be a part of the show... I probably... I definitely wouldn't have done it."^[15]

Connick and New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina

Connick at the New Orleans Jazz Fest 2007

Connick, a New Orleans native, is a founder of the Krewe of Orpheus, a music-based New Orleans krewe, taking its name from Orpheus of classical mythology. The Krewe of Orpheus parades on St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street in New Orleans on Lundi Gras (Fat Monday) — the day before Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday).

On September 2, 2005, Harry Connick, Jr., helped to organize, and appeared in, the NBC-sponsored live telethon concert, A Concert for Hurricane Relief, for relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He spent several days touring the city to draw attention to the plight of citizens stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and other places. At the concert he paired with host Matt Lauer, and entertainers including Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kanye West, Mike Myers, and John Goodman.

On September 6, 2005, Connick was made honorary chair of Habitat for Humanity's Operation Home Delivery, a long-term rebuilding plan for families victimized by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast.

Connick's album Oh, My NOLA, and Chanson du Vieux Carré were released in 2007, with a following tour called the My New Orleans Tour.

Musicians' Village

Musicians' Village in New Orleans, August 20, 2007.

Connick and Branford Marsalis devised an initiative to help restore New Orleans's musical heritage. Habitat for Humanity and New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, working with Connick and Branford Marsalis announced December 6, 2005, plans for a Musicians' Village in New Orleans. The Musicians' Village includes Habitat-constructed homes, with an Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, as the area's centerpiece. The Habitat-built homes provide musicians, and anyone else who qualifies, the opportunity to buy decent, affordable housing.

Personal life

On April 16, 1994, Connick, Jr. married former Victoria's Secret model Jill Goodacre, originally from Texas, at the St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, Louisiana. The song "Jill", on the album Blue Light, Red Light (1991) is about her. They have three daughters: Georgia Tatom (born April 17, 1996), Sarah Kate (September 12, 1997), and Charlotte (born June 26, 2002). The family currently resides in New Canaan, Connecticut, and New York City, New York. Connick is a practicing Roman Catholic.^[16][17][18]

Discography

• Dixieland Plus (1977)
• Eleven (1978)
• Harry Connick Jr. (1987)
• 20 (1988)
• When Harry Met Sally (1989)
• We Are In Love (1990)
• Lofty's Roach Souffle (1990)
• Blue Light, Red Light (1991)
• 25 (1992)
• When My Heart Finds Christmas (1993)
• She (1994)
• Star Turtle (1995)
• To See You (1997)
• Come by Me (1999)
• 30 (2001)
• Songs I Heard (2001)
• Thou Shalt Not (2002)
• Other Hours : Connick on Piano, Volume 1 (2003)
• Harry for the Holidays (2003)
• Only You (2004)
• Occasion : Connick on Piano, Volume 2 (2005)
• Harry on Broadway, Act I (2006)
• Oh, My NOLA (2007)
• Chanson du Vieux Carre : Connick On Piano, Volume 3 (2007)
• What a Night! A Christmas Album (2008)
• Your Songs (2009)

Filmography

Various

• 1990 Carly in Concert: My Romance Carly Simon – guest artist (VHS)
• 1991 Cheers — TV show guest appearance
• 1992 Super Bowl XXVI — performed "The Star Spangled Banner"
• 1993 The Harry Connick Jr. Christmas Special (CBS)
• 1997 Action League Now!, episode "Rock-A-Big-Baby" (voice, as "Big Baby")
• 1998 Harry Connick Jr.: Romance in Paris (PBS special)
• 1999 The Worlds of Harry Connick Jr. (Bravo)
• 2001 Evening at Pops (PBS)
• 2002 Will & Grace (NBC 2002–2006)
• 2003 Harry for the Holidays (NBC)
• 2004 Only You: In Concert (PBS)
• 2007 100 Biggest Weather Moments (The Weather Channel) — host
• 2007 Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037
• 2009 Hey Hey It's Saturday, The Reunion (second show, October 7) – Red Faces judge^[19]
• 2009 Australian Idol – judge
• 2010 Daytona 500 performed "The Star-Spangled Banner"
• 2010 American Idol

Broadway

• 1990 An Evening with Harry Connick Jr. and His Orchestra (special, concert)
• 2001 Thou Shalt Not (Broadway Musical) — composer
• 2006 The Pajama Game (Broadway Musical)
• TBA Nice Work If You Can Get It (Broadway Musical) (postponed)^[20]
• 2010 Harry Connick, Jr. in Concert on Broadway (special, concert)^[21]

Further reading

• Harry Connick, Jr. interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' November 2009
• Eggar, Robin (2007-09-30). "When Harry met Katrina". Music (London: The Times). http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2541258.ece. Retrieved 2007-10-02. 
• "Harry Connick Jnr discusses playing, singing and arranging." [radio transcript]. 2005. The Music Show. Presented by Andrew Ford.
• Audio interview recorded April 2007 in Toronto, Canada
• Article on Connick's United States patent 6,348,648 for a "system and method for coordinating music display among players in an orchestra."

References

External links

• Harry Connick Jr. official website
• Harry Connick Jr. website on Sony Music
• Harry Connick, Jr. at the Internet Movie Database
• Harry Connick, Jr. at the Internet Broadway Database
• Harry Connick Jr. on Myspace