The Marvelous Callaway Sisters

On Saturday January 29, 2011 My wife and I attended the the Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway sister's concert at the "Great" Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs, California. Both of these singers are personal favorites of mine, but I never had the pleasure of seeing Ann Hampton Callaway in person so I was really looking forward to seeing both sisters live at the same time on the Annenberg stage. I was not disappointed, quite frankly their performance was an emotional experience for me. It was that good! First, speaking from a man's perspective, the love and emotional bond between sisters was so much stronger than I would have imagined. This bond between these two immensely talented performers radiated and captured the audience. There was a strange familial sensation transmitted to the audience by the end of the concert. We all felt we were part of the Callaway family. At one part of the program, the sisters spoke about how different they were as kids and yet how close they were.  Ann leaned over to Liz and said, "It was good, wasn't it", and then they sang, "Memories". It was beautifully sung for the audience.  The audience as mesmerized and trying to hide their tears.

The title of this show was "Boom" and was written and produced by the Callaway sisters.  The show was based on the music that both sisters listened to along with millions of baby boomers celebrating the 60's. It is near impossible to pick out my favorites from all the great songs the sisters sang, but I will mention four that personally moved me.  First, Ann sang the underappreciated Joni Mitchell's classic, "A Case of You". The richness of Ann's voice and her full understanding of the meaning of the lyric produced a version of this song that could only be described as outstanding.  Liz told us that there was only one album that both sisters listened to as kids, the "Tapestry" album by Carole King. Is there  any baby boomer living today that did not also love the "Tapestry" album, I think not!  The song they sang from this album was "You've Got A Friend". They told the audience that throughout their lives, this has been their mantra.  I loved their version of the Beetles classic, "Come Together". It was nice to actually clearly hear all the words to this great song. The last song I want to mention is the great Righteous Brothers hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin". There was glorious harmony between these two talented sisters. In truth, there was glorious harmony in every song which was truly soothing to the ear.

Personally, this was one of the most impressive live concerts I have ever attended.  If I had to use only  words to describe this event the words that come to mind are "Extraordinary", "Impressive", "Moving", "Stirring" and "Emotional". And that's not just my opinion. The second the show ended, the entire sold out audience was up on their feet clapping and cheering for these two remarkable performers.

Liz Callaway Shines At NJPAC

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Liz Callaway in person for the first time.  What a voice, what stage presence, what great songs she sang.  I have been a fan of her sister Ann Hampton Callaway for a while, and now I am a fan of both sisters. It never ceases to amaze me how much greater enjoyment there is in experiencing a live performance. Liz's stage credits can only be described as outstanding.  She made her Broadway debut in Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along".  She also received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in "Baby" and appeared as "Grizabella" in "Cats" just to name a few of her credits.

Her NJPAC show was entitled "An Evening With Liz Callaway" and her program included many songs from her new CD "Passage of Time".  I loved every song she sang.  I loved her pure voice and most of all I loved her original interpretation of every song she selected.  What a difference it makes when a singer understands the meaning of the lyrics of a song and then has the talent to musically present the meaning to the audience.

Liz was so impressive singing "Memory" from the role she played in "Cats" that I really felt she stunned the audience.  I have never heard it sung better!  She sang a great combination of "Raindrops Keep Falling and Singing In the Rain".  This was followed by "Make Someone Happy" combined with "Something Wonderful" from the "King and I".  This was the first of a series of a Cabaret series at NJPAC.  The next performer in this series is the legendary Marilyn Maye on December 4.  There are tickets still available, and you should make the effort to hear one of the great cabaret singers of our time.