Larry Coleman at TRO/Dartmouth who handled my work for a while produced several demo recordings on 10” 33 1/3 rpm discs and 45’s so he could shop my songs around to artists that might be interested. This could have been around 1965. This song, called My Blue Notes Have Never Been So Blue, is one of my favorites. It was also one of Frank Loesser’s favorites- when I finished the song I was still under contract to Frank Music and I made an appointment and played it for him. He had me play it a couple of times, and then he told me that he’d been thinking of teaming me as a lyricist with another composer, but after hearing Blue Notes he’d changed his mind. I should keep on writing both music and lyrics. I did. I would have anyway.

I’d written male and female variations (just a couple of words needed to be changed) and Larry had both recorded. He either used different pianists or the pianist was inspired to do a little something different in each case. Sadly I have no idea who the singers are, but they were terrific, and I’m so glad to have these recordings.. Please enjoy.

Well, as I slowly find and digitize old vinyl recordings, I come across things I wrote that I had completely forgotten, like this one from the mid 60’s. Clearly intended as special material for a duo like Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, a publisher named Larry Coleman at TRO/Dartmouth that handled my work for a while must have produced this studio-made demo so he could shop it around to artists that might be interested. On the unmarked paper sleeve in barely legible pencil are the names of singers John Gary and Gale Garnett (who both had their share of records and hits), and for some reason also trumpeter and bandleader Al Hurt (I have no idea why, since the track is recorded with just a piano, one of life’s little mysteries). I’m guessing that means that Gary and Garnett are the ones who sang on this demo, and if so, they did a great job! Then it took a day of searching around the house to find the sheet music. I did the music, and a friend from Forest Hills named Florence Miller did the lyrics, according to the manuscript I found. Its fun to hear it after all this time! Enjoy.