Liberace
Liberace (born Wladziu Valentino Liberace) was the most flamboyant, popular easy listening pianist of the '60s and '70s by a wide margin. His campy, theatrical appearance and performances often disguised his prodigious talent.
Liberace was a child prodigy born to a musical family. His father, Salvatore, played French horn in John Philip Sousa's Concert Band, as well as the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Instead of following in his father's footsteps and playing horn, Wladziu Liberace decided to play piano instead. Liberace was exceptionally gifted at piano, earning strong words of praise from Ignace Paderewski, which helped him land a scholarship at the Wisconsin College of Music at the age of seven; he retained his scholarship for 17 years, the longest period of time in the history of the academy. When he was 11, he debuted as a concert soloist. When he was in his teens, he was performing with symphony orchestras.
Instead of following the accepted path of classical recitals and university courses, Liberace chose to be a showman. At encores at his concerts, he began playing novelty songs like "Mairzy Doats." To ensure that he had widespread appeal as an entertainer, he took elocution lessons in order to mask his Polish accent.
During World War II, Liberace performed in a variety of overseas entertainment units. When he came back to America, he began performing in clubs, playing and singing with dance bands. While he was on the club circuit, he began performing under the sole name of Liberace.
In 1940, he moved to New York City, where he became a fixture on the club circuits. However, his stint in New York wasn't particularly successful, as the Musicians Union banned the pianist after he began playing counterpoints to certain records played over the club's sound system. Undaunted, Liberace moved to California. While he was playing at a local hotel, he was spotted by Decca Record executives who offered him a contract. Decca attempted to make Liberace into a big-band leader, but it was unsuccessful. In the late '40s, he signed with Columbia Records and, under the direction of producer Mitch Miller, recorded an over-the-top rendition of "September Song." Along with a live concert album, the single helped bring Liberace to a national audience.
Liberace became a star in the '50s, both through his records and assorted television and film appearances. His appearance and repertoire were becoming increasingly campy, as he dressed himself in rhinestone, gold lame, furs, and sequins while playing everything from Gershwin and show tunes to lounge jazz and light classical pieces, with a candelabra placed on his piano. Liberace's star rose rapidly in the early '50s, as he had his own television show, appropriately titled The Liberace Show. His celebrity reached a peak in the mid-'50s. Not only did he star in the 1955 film Sincerely Yours, a movie about a deaf concert pianist, but he was mentioned in "Mr. Sandman" by the Chordettes and he published his own cookbook. In 1956, Liberace celebrated his 25 years in show business with an extravagant concert at the Hollywood Bowl. That same year, he made some headway in the U.K. market, playing three Royal Command Performances.
Though it was a heady time for the pianist, 1956 was also the year that his star began to dim somewhat. Cassandra, a columnist for the English tabloid The Daily Mirror, inferred that Liberace was homosexual. He sued the paper and won, yet he still made an effort to tone down his appearance. However, the public didn't want a subdued Liberace, and he reverted to his kitschy showmanship in the early '60s.
Liberace didn't have any more pop hits in the '60s,'70s, and '80s, yet he continued to sell out concerts around the world and sell a number of records, even though he never earned the favor of the critics. In 1982, a former chauffeur and bodyguard sued the pianist for palimony; the case was settled out of court. Liberace remained a celebrity and a popular performer until his death in 1987.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
-
Chopsticks, Vol. 1
Pop - Pubblicato da Supreme Media il 1 feb 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Collection (Remastered)
Classica - Pubblicato da Vintage Hits Records il 29 nov 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Midnight
Canzoni di Natale - Pubblicato da Hits Forever Records il 14 dic 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
We're Listening to Liberace, Vol. 1 (Live)
Pop - Pubblicato da Top Tracks il 30 ott 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopsticks, Vol. 1
Pop - Pubblicato da Lumi Entertainment il 1 feb 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Looking Back - Volume I & II (Live)
Colonne sonore - Pubblicato da SnailWorx il 13 giu 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vintage Vocal Jazz / Swing No. 185 - EP: Autumn Nocturne
Jazz - Pubblicato da Vintage Music il 9 gen 1954
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liberace Live in Concert
Pop - Pubblicato da Black Sheep Music il 16 mag 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Piano Song Book of Movie Themes
Colonne sonore - Pubblicato da 3D Sound Remaster il 27 giu 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strangest Dream
Jazz - Pubblicato da Black Sheep Music il 6 dic 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of
Pop - Pubblicato da Brownbeats Records il 30 mar 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liberace By Candlelight
Pop - Pubblicato da Music Manager il 22 giu 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Sound of Love
Pop - Pubblicato da Tam-Tam Media il 1 mag 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hollywood Bowl Encore (Live)
Classica - Pubblicato da Music Manager il 31 ago 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liberace at the London Palladium (Original Album) (Live)
Liberace & The London Palladium Orchestra
Pop - Pubblicato da A-Jazz Records il 17 mar 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Moonlight Sonata
Blues - Pubblicato da Firefly Entertainment il 20 ott 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Flamboyance Of Liberace (Live)
Pop - Pubblicato da Diamond Days il 12 gen 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'll Be Seeing You
Jazz - Pubblicato da Firefly Entertainment il 2 set 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Piano Song Book: Movie Themes
Pop - Pubblicato da Music Manager il 1 gen 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Love (Original Mix)
Colonne sonore - Pubblicato da JEP Records il 14 dic 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo