Carl Sigman

Hello, The Marx Brothers Must Be Coming

Michael Sigman | Posted 06.20.2011

Read More: Gummo Marx, Bill Marx, President Obama, Norman Cousins, Groucho Marx, Saturday Review, Bob Hilliard, Barbara Ehrenreich, Chico Marx, Carl Sigman, The Marx Brothers, Jesus, Harpo Marx, Howie Richmond, Zeppo Marx, Mrs. Rittenhouse, Irving Thalberg, CGH Society, Audley Upton, Comedy News
Michael Sigman

My passion for the absurd may derive from early childhood exposure to my mom's twisted song parodies. My fave was "I've Got the World on a String," in...

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Sondheim's Lyrics: Rhymes, Reasons and Religion

Michael Sigman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Oscar Hammerstein, Ira Gershwin, Stevie Wonder, Lorenz Hart, Lyrics, Irving Berlin, Noel Coward, Alan Jay Lerner, Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, Carl Sigman, Great American Songbook, Saturday Night, Sunday in the Park With George, Company, West Side Story, Follies, Arts News
Michael Sigman

Though I grew up in an agnostic household, I was rarely in doubt that a spiritual force was afoot. Music, specifically what's come to be called "The Great American Songbook," was our religion.

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Songwriters Hall Of Fame Finds a Home

Michael Sigman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Paul Grein, Nickolas Ashford, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Hal David, Willie Nelson, Desmond Child, Abe Olman, Stephen Sondheim, Glen Campbell, Carl Sigman, Lamont Dozier, Albert Hammond, Mac Davis, Grammy Museum, Johnny Mercer, Valerie Simpson, Bruce Johnston, Howie Richmond, Jimmy Webb, Smokey Robinson, Entertainment News
Michael Sigman

Most songwriters, even successful ones, toil alone or with a single collaborator. To call them unsung would be oxymoronic, but with a few exceptions t...

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A Hotel, a Phone Number and a Son

Michael Sigman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Glenn Miller, Twin Peaks, Hotel Pennsylvania, Billboard, Dorsey Brothers, Milli Vanilli, Andrews Sisters, Penn Plaza, Jack Robbins, Decca, Mckim, Elie Hirschfeld, Heptet, Carl Sigman, The Simpsons, Gary Shandling, Artie Shaw, Brill Building, Mead & White, American Dad, Bugs Bunny, Johnny Mercer, Carol Burnett, Lindy's, Great Neck, Rca-Victor-Bluebird, The Muppets, Benny Goodman, Brian Setzer, Helen Forrest, New York News
Michael Sigman

The 15 Penn Plaza plan will bring down the legendary Hotel Pennsylvania. The hotel, built in 1919, has a rich history, an essential part of which is bound up with my father's first hit as a songwriter.

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My Heart Cries for Mitch Miller

Michael Sigman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Frank Sinatra, Percy Faith, Ben E. King, Ray Charles, Al Cernick, Mitch Miller, Elvis Presley, Dinah Washington, Jerry Lewis, Guy Mitchell, Connie Francis, My Heart Cries for You, Theme From a Summer Place, Carl Sigman, Dean Martin, Columbia Records, Entertainment News
Michael Sigman

Mitch Miller, the musical maven of middle-of-the-road pop who died in Manhattan Saturday at 99, became a household name via his early-'60s TV show Sing Along With Mitch.

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Easy Listener: Why You Should Know Singer Joyce Breach

David Finkle | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Tom Jones, Bob Merrill, Gene Bertoncini, Jon Weber, Russell George, Michel Legrand, Michael Leonard, Michael Korie, Carl Sigman, Joyce Breach, Sammy Fain, Warren Vaché, Marilyn Bergman, Audiophile, Alan Bergman, Burt Bacharach, Cabaret, Marshall Barer, Ted Koehler, Hal David, Carolyn Leigh, Mabel Mercer, Paul Francis Webster, Harvey Schmidt, Burton Lane, Scott Frankel, Arthur Schwartz, Johnny Mercer, Youtube, Chip Jackson, Todd Dameron, Odds & Ends, Entertainment News
David Finkle

There's a world-class pop singer you may not know about but absolutely should. She's Joyce Breach, who's been hiding her mellow light under lucky urban bushes.

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Eight Thoughts About Election Day and Words and Music

Michael Sigman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Otis Blackwell, Songs, Chairman Mao, Ronald Reagan, That'll Be the Day, Buddy Holly, Paul McCartney, Boston Tea Party, Begin the Beguine, Frankie Valli, Cole Porter, Rag Doll, Carl Sigman, Bobby Brown, Partridge Family, Gary Stewart, Rand Paul, John Lennon, God, It's All in the Game, British Invasion, Don't Be Cruel, Copyright Law, Beatles, Born in the USA, Tea Party, Art Garfunkel, Bruce Springsteen, b52s, Politics News
Michael Sigman

1.Tuesday's election wins by Sharron Angle in Nevada and Nikki Haley in South Carolina were helped immeasurably by those candidates' association with ...

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Outrage Is All the Rage

Michael Sigman | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Msnbc, Eugene McCarthy, Rush Limbaugh, Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity, Laurence O'Donnell, Dick Morris, President Obama, Johnny Mercer, Glenn Beck, Keith Olbermann, Sarah Palin, Carl Sigman, Healthy Living News
Michael Sigman

Sometimes you have to respond to lies -- think Obama and the birthers. But in most cases, the more rewarding path is simple, though far from easy: Let it be.

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Creating Community in LA: Emergency Preparedness

Michael Sigman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Google Groups, Beachwood Canyon, George Carlin, Twitter, LA DWP, Buckminster Fuller, LA Fire Department, Nichols Canyon, Frederic Nietzsche, Infacta Groupmail, John Donne, Facebook, Carl Sigman, Emergency Preparedness, Lapd, Laurel Canyon, La Real Estate, Los Angeles News
Michael Sigman

No man is an island. Surely you want to be linked up with neighbors in case of emergencies like earthquakes and fires. That way, when the crisis is over, you can return to your hermetic ways in one piece.

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Apologizing Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry

Michael Sigman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Mark McGwire, Roger Maris, Iran, Francis Lai, Erich Segal, Love Story, Jon Stewart, Tiger Woods, John Edwards, New York Times, Keith Olbermann, Game Change, Carl Sigman, Media News
Michael Sigman

The death last week of Erich Segal reminded the world of Love Story, his 1969 mega-selling book, and the blockbuster 1970 movie of the same name, for which he wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay.

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In the Press-ence of Elvis

Michael Sigman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: The Who, Carl Perkins, Bette Midler, Madison Square Garden, Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Doc Watson, Colonel Tom Parker, Randy Newman, Carl Sigman, Steve Earle, Entertainment News
Michael Sigman

I once was this close to Elvis Presley. I got goose bumps just being near the man whose glorious music introduced me -- and countless millions -- to an ecstatic world beyond our everyday experience.

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Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)

Michael Sigman | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: New Year's Resolutions, The Specials, Guy Lombardo, Buddhism, Carl Sigman, Meditation, Happiness, Video, Healthy Living News
Michael Sigman

What we can do is "enjoy ourselves" by striving to appreciate the wonder of our life and times, including the inevitable setbacks.

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Field Notes from a Songwriter's Centennial -- Part II

Michael Sigman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Sonny & Cher, Brenda Lee, Frederic Chopin, George Martin, Joni Mitchell, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Nat King Cole, Carl Sigman, Entertainment News
Michael Sigman

September 24th is the centennial birthday of my late father, the songwriter Carl Sigman (1909-2000), who wrote nearly a thousand songs.

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'Civilization' and its Disc Contents

Michael Sigman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Frank Sinatra, Civilization, Bob Hilliard, Louis Prima, Fallout 3, Carl Sigman, Entertainment News
Michael Sigman

"Civilization" might be faulted for political incorrectness in today's terms, a playful attitude will reward the listener with plenty of smiles and maybe even a few belly laughs.

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