For the first time since I can remember, I am truly excited for the premiere of American Idol tonight. I have been a fan of Harry Connick, Jr. since I was a freshman in high school (believe it or not, that’s been about 24 years — holy crap.)
I own every album he has ever produced and if I find one on clearance, I buy it because it’s the right thing to do.
I have attended at least 60 of his concerts in and around the tri-state area and have logged thousands of miles to do so. Being a card-carrying fan club member, I’ve always had the opportunity to buy seats in the first 3 or 4 rows — Harry takes care of his fans. I have been impressed every single time by his incredible musical gift. He introduced me to Big Band music and made me fall in LOVE with it. Thanks to Harry, I learned to appreciate the standards like, “It Had to Be You,” and while other girls were singing in their hairbrushes to Madonna tunes, I was belting the lyrics to, “On the Street Where You Live.”
I also love his original tunes — one of my favorite songs of all time is “You Didn’t Know Me When.” I even stuck with him through his “funk” stage — Oh, Star Turtle…
He has written one of my favorite Christmas hymns of modern day, “The Blessed Dawn of Christmas Day.” Beautiful.
I remember when I worked at a drugstore while a student at Butler University. there was this VERY mean old lady who used to come in and make everyone cry when they had to wait on her. I was at a Harry Connick, Jr. concert and during intermission, I saw her 4 rows behind me. We had a lovely conversation about music and how wild we are about Harry. After that, she would seek ME out to wait on her at the drugstore and I didn’t mind a bit. We had a connection.
At that same concert, he played, “The Old Rugged Cross” on the trumpet and left the place so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then he sang it and I sat there, just sad that it wasn’t on any of his albums. But when you go to a Harry Connick, Jr. concert, you get stuff you don’t get on his albums. You get blown away by his wit, his talent, and his corny dancing. LOVED the time he played a tinny upright piano and took us all away to a saloon in the old west.
He has stayed after every concert I’ve attended and signed autographs — stayed until the last fan was greeted. When I took my daughter to a concert when she was about 6 years old, he spent extra time talking to her and thanked her for coming. When CD’s are like 8-tracks, I’ll keep mine because they are signed and they are special to me.
I’ve seen every movie he’s acted in and while he is known for appearing in several blockbusters, my favorite was an Indie film called Wayward Son that my husband and I drove to Greenwood to see at an 11:00pm show during the Heartland Film Festival one year. AWESOME movie.
And there MAY have been an incident where my sister managed to get us onto one of the tour buses one time after a concert. That was unforgettable.
Yes, I am unapologetically excited for American Idol tonight and I am wild about Harry.