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I met Johnny Mathis at P.
J.
Clarke's
P. J. Clarke's 915 3rd Ave
(212) 753-0896
P.J. Clarke's on Third Ave., near
55tth Street, in New York City was one of my favorite places. The
fall of 1960, I was sitting at a table with my dog, Duchess, who was eating a
hamburger under the table.
PJ Clarke's had a dog named Skip. Skip and
Duchess were great friends, therefore Duchess was permitted in the restaurant.
It was about 2 AM when Sarah
Vaughan came in with a group of people. When she saw me, she
came over to say "hello" and to pet Duchess; she and Duchess were good
friends. She invited us to join her group.
Johnny Mathis,
Syd Shaw and a couple of other people, were in the group. I was
introduced all around and sat with Sass. Later, we left PJ's and went up to
Johnny's apartment to listen to his latest recording.
A few days later I had a message at my Hotel from Johnny
inviting me to go hear Adam Wade at the Roundtable. People said Adam sounded
like Johnny, so Johnny wanted to hear him.
That night I met Adam and Helen Noga,
Johnny's Manger. Syd Shaw was there and we had a good conversation about the
music business. In 1967 I returned to New York from California - Syd wrote an act for my wife Paula, and we
recorded her using Sass' band. Syd and I often frequented P. J. Clarke's.
Syd Shaw wrote Heavenly for
Johnny. He also wrote acts for Lena Horne, Polly Bergen and
others. Syd and I became friends that lasted up
until his death in 1969.
Years later, Adam
Wade and I became close
friends through a mutual friend, Maria de Aragon. Maria and I performed in a play he
wrote titled The Dancer. His ex-wife was director.
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