Harry Connick, Jr.

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Harry Connick, Jr.
Harry Connick, Jr. at the New Orleans Jazz Fest 2007. Photo by Stephanie Schoyer
Harry Connick, Jr. at the New Orleans Jazz Fest 2007. Photo by Stephanie Schoyer
Background information
Birth name Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr.
Born September 11, 1967 (1967-09-11) (age 40)
Origin New Orleans, Louisiana
Genre(s) Swing
Traditional pop
Big Band
Jazz-funk
Occupation(s) Singer
Pianist
Actor
composer
Instrument(s) Vocals and piano
Years active 1977 to present
Label(s) Adco Productions (1977-1979)

Columbia Records (1979-present)
Marsalis Music (2003-present)
Website HarryConnickJr.com

Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, actor, and humanitarian. Connick’s music encompasses jazz, some of it very much in the style of the crooners of the 1940s and early 1950s, funk and blues.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Connick, Jr. was born Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr.[1] in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Anita, a judge, lawyer, and former Louisiana Supreme Court justice, and Harry Connick, Sr., who was the district attorney of New Orleans from 1977-2003, successfully running against Jim Garrison.[2] His parents also owned a record store. Connick, Jr.'s mother, a native of New York City, was Jewish, and his father is of Irish Catholic background.[3][4] Connick, Jr. has a sister, Suzanna. Connick's musical talents soon came to the fore when he learned the keyboards at the age of three, played publicly at age six and recorded with a local jazz band at 10. His musical talents were developed at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and under the tutelage of Ellis Marsalis and James Booker.

Connick attended Jesuit High School and Isidore Newman School in New Orleans. He moved to New York City to study at Hunter College and the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, where a Columbia Records executive persuaded him to sign with that label. His first record for the label, Harry Connick Jr., was a mainly instrumental album of standards. He soon acquired a reputation in jazz because of extended stays at high-profile New York venues. His next album, 20, featured his vocals and added to this reputation.

[edit] When Harry Met Sally... — chart and movie success

With Connick's growing reputation, director Rob Reiner asked him to provide a soundtrack for his 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally..., starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. The soundtrack consisted of several standards, including "It Had to Be You", "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", and achieved double-platinum status in the United States. He won his first Grammy for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance for his work on the soundtrack.

Connick made his screen debut in Memphis Belle (1990), about a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crew in World War II. In that year, he began a two-year world tour. In addition, he released two albums in July 1990: the instrumental jazz trio album Lofty's Roach Souffle and a big-band album of mostly original songs titled We Are in Love, which also went double platinum. We Are in Love earned him his second consecutive Grammy for Best Jazz Male Vocal.

"Promise Me You'll Remember", his contribution to the Godfather III soundtrack, was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. In a year of recognition, he was also nominated for an Emmy for Best Performance in a Variety Special for his PBS special Swingin' Out Live, which was also released as a video. In October 1991, he released his third consecutive multi-platinum album, Blue Light, Red Light, on which he wrote and arranged the songs. In October 1991, he starred in Little Man Tate, directed by Jodie Foster, playing the friend of a child prodigy who goes to college.

Connick was arrested in 1992 and charged with having a 9mm pistol in his possession at JFK International Airport. After spending a day in jail, he agreed to make a public-service television commercial warning against breaking gun laws. The court agreed to drop all charges if Connick stayed out of trouble for six months.

In November 1992, Connick released 25, a solo piano collection of standards that again went platinum. He also re-released the album Eleven. Connick contributed "A Wink and a Smile" to the Sleepless in Seattle soundtrack, released in 1993. His multi-platinum album of holiday songs, When My Heart Finds Christmas, was the best-selling Christmas album in 1993.

[edit] Flirtation with funk in the mid-1990s

In 1994, Connick decided to branch out. He released She, an album of New Orleans funk that also went platinum. In addition, he released a song called "(I Could Only) Whisper Your Name" for the soundtrack of The Mask, starring Jim Carrey, which is his most successful single in the United States to date.

Connick took his funk music on a tour of the United Kingdom in 1994, an effort that did not please some of his fans, who were expecting a jazz crooner. Connick also took his funk music to the People's Republic of China in 1995, playing at the Shanghai Center Theatre. The performance was televised live in China for what became known as the Shanghai Gumbo special. In his third film Copycat, Connick played a killer. Released in 1995, Copycat also starred Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver. The following year, he released his second funk album, Star Turtle, which did not sell as well as previous albums, although it did reach No. 38 on the charts. However, he appeared in the most successful movie of 1996, Independence Day, with Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum.

[edit] Back to basics: return to jazz, 1999—current

Harry Connick Jr at the Johnny Mercer Theather, Savannah, Georgia Feb 27, 2007
Harry Connick Jr at the Johnny Mercer Theather, Savannah, Georgia Feb 27, 2007

For his 1997 release To See You, Connick recorded original love songs, touring the United States and Europe with a full symphony orchestra backing him and his piano in each city. As part of his tour, he played at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, with his final concert of that tour in Paris being recorded for a St. Valentine's Day special on PBS in 1998. He also continued his film career, starring in Excess Baggage opposite Alicia Silverstone and Benicio del Toro in 1997.

In May 1998, he had his first leading role in director Forest Whitaker's Hope Floats, with Sandra Bullock as his female lead. He released Come By Me, his first album of big band music in eight years in 1999, and embarked on a world tour visiting the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia. In addition, he provided the voice of Dean McCoppin in the animated film The Iron Giant. Connick wrote the score for Susan Stroman's Broadway musical Thou Shalt Not, based on Émile Zola's novel Thérèse Raquin, in 2000; it premiered in 2001. His music and lyrics garnerned a Tony Award nomination. He was also the narrator of the film My Dog Skip, released in that year.

In March 2001, Connick starred in a television production of South Pacific with Glenn Close, televised on the ABC network. He also starred in his twelfth movie, Mickey, featuring a screenplay by John Grisham that same year. In October 2001, he again released two albums: Songs I Heard, featuring big band reworkings of children's show themes, and 30, featuring Connick on piano with guest appearances by several other musical artists. Songs I Heard won Connick another Grammy for best traditional pop album and he toured performing songs from the album, holding matinees at which each parent had to be accompanied by a child.

In 2002, he received US Patent #6,348,648 for a "system and method for coordinating music display among players in an orchestra."[5] Connick appeared as Grace Adler's boyfriend (and later husband) Leo Markus on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace from 2002 to 2006. In July 2003, Connick released his first instrumental album in fifteen years, Other Hours Connick on Piano Volume 1. It was released on Branford Marsalis's new label Marsalis Music and led to a short tour of nightclubs and small theaters.

Connick appeared in the film Basic with John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. In October 2003, he released his second Christmas album, Harry for the Holidays, which went gold and reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200 album chart. He also had a television special on NBC featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, Marc Anthony and Kim Burrell. Only You, his seventeenth album for Columbia Records, was released in February 2004. A collection of 1950s and 1960s ballads, Only You, went Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic and was certified gold in the United States in March 2004. The Only You tour with big band went on in America, Australia and a short trip to Asia. Harry for the Holidays was certified platinum in November 2004. A music DVD Harry Connick Jr. — "Only You" in Concert was released in March 2004, after it had first aired as a Great Performances special on PBS. The special won him an Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction. The DVD received a Gold & Platinum Music Video — Long Form awards from the RIAA in November 2005.

An animated holiday special, The Happy Elf, aired on NBC in December 2005, with Connick as the composer, the narrator, and one of the executive producers. Shortly after, it was released on DVD. The holiday special was based on his original song The Happy Elf, from his 2003 album Harry for the Holidays. Another album from Marsalis Music was recorded in 2005, Occasion : Connick on Piano, Volume 2, a duo album with Harry Connick, Jr. on piano together with Branford Marsalis on saxophone. A music DVD, A Duo Occasion, was filmed at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival 2005 in Canada, and released in November 2005.

He appeared in another episode of NBC sitcom Will & Grace in November 2005, and appeared in additional three episodes in 2006. Bug, a film directed by William Friedkin, is a psychological thriller filmed in 2005, starring Connick, Ashley Judd, and Michael Shannon. The film was released in 2007. He starred in the Broadway revival of The Pajama Game, produced by the Roundabout Theater Company, along with Michael McKean and Kelli O'Hara, at the American Airlines Theatre in 2006. It ran from February 23 to June 17, 2006, including five benefit performances running from June 13 to June 17. The Pajama Game cast recording was nominated for a Grammy, after being released as part of Connick's double disc album Harry on Broadway, Act I.

He hosted the Weather Channel's mini series 100 Biggest Weather Moments which aired in 2007. He was part of the documentary Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037, released in November 2007. He sat in on piano on Bob French's 2007 album Marsalis Music Honors Series: Bob French. He appeared in the film P.S. I Love You, with Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler, released in December 2007. A third album in the Connick on Piano series, Chanson du Vieux Carré was released in 2007, and Connick has received two Grammy nominations for the track "Ash Wednesday", for the upcoming Grammy awards in 2008. Chanson du Vieux Carré was released simultaneously with the album Oh, My NOLA. Connick toured North America and Europe in 2007, and will be touring Asia and Australia in 2008, as part of his My New Orleans Tour. The film Chilled in Miami is set to begin filming in January 2008, co-starring Connick and Renée Zellweger. Connick did the arrangements for, wrote a couple of songs, and sings a duet on Kelli O'Hara's new album, set to be released in May 2008.[6]

[edit] Involvement for Hurricane Katrina Victims

On September 2, 2005, Harry Connick, Jr. helped to organize, and appeared in, the NBC-sponsored live telethon concert, A Concert for Hurricane Relief, for relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. As a native son of New Orleans, he spent several days touring the city, to draw attention to the plight of citizens stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and other places. At the concert he paired with host Matt Lauer (Today Show), and entertainers including Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kanye West, Mike Myers, and John Goodman.

On September 6, 2005, Connick was made honorary chair of Habitat for Humanity’s “Operation Home Delivery,” a long-term rebuilding plan for families victimized by Hurricane Katrina in the Big Easy and along the Gulf Coast of new orleans.

Main article: Musicians' Village

Connick and Branford Marsalis devised an initiative to help restore New Orleans's musical heritage. Habitat for Humanity and New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, working with Connick and Branford Marsalis announced December 6, 2005, plans for a Musicians' Village in New Orleans. The Musicians' Village will include Habitat-constructed homes, with an Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, as the area's centerpiece. The Habitat-built homes will provide musicians and anyone else who qualifies the opportunity to buy decent, affordable housing.

[edit] Personal life

On April 16, 1994, Connick, Jr. married model Jill Goodacre, originally from Texas, at the St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, Louisiana. They have three daughters: Georgia Tatom (born April 17, 1996), Sarah Kate (September 12, 1997), and Charlotte (born June 26, 2002). The family currently resides in Connecticut.

He is a founder of the Krewe of Orpheus, a music-based New Orleans krewe, taking its name from Orpheus of classical mythology. The Krewe of Orpheus parades on St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street in New Orleans on Lundi Gras (Fat Monday) — the day before Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday).

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

U.S. certification information is from Recording Industry Association of America,[7] chart positions are from All Music Guide[8] and Billboard.[9]

Year Album information Additional information
2007 Oh, My NOLA
2007 Chanson du Vieux Carre : Connick On Piano, Volume 3
2006 Harry on Broadway, Act I
2005 Occasion : Connick on Piano, Volume 2
2004 Only You
2003 Harry for the Holidays
2003 Other Hours : Connick on Piano, Volume 1
2002 Thou Shalt Not
  • Release Date: June 18, 2002
  • Genre: Cast album
  • Label: Papa's-June Music
  • Chart Positions: -
  • RIAA certification: -
  • Original Broadway Cast Recording, Music & lyrics by Harry Connick, Jr. (who does not sing on this album)
2001 Songs I Heard
2001 30
1999 Come by Me
1997 To See You
1996 Star Turtle
1994 She
1993 When My Heart Finds Christmas
1992 25
1991 Blue Light, Red Light
1990 Lofty's Roach Souffle
1990 We Are in Love
1989 When Harry Met Sally...
1988 20
1987 Harry Connick Jr.
1979 11
1977 Dixieland Plus

[edit] Soundtrack appearances

[edit] Various

  • 1989 Jubilation — Various Artists — #7 "You Go To My Head"
  • 1990 A Jazzy Wonderland — Various Artists — #1 "This Christmas"
  • 1990 Making Every Moment Count — Peter Allen — #3 "When I Get My Name In Lights"
  • 1991 Simply Mad About The Mouse — Various Artists — #6 "The Bare Necessities"
  • 1992 Swing Time, Japan compilation — Harry Connick, Jr — #1 "Let Me Love You, It's OK"
  • 1993 France, I Wish You Love, France, compilation — Harry Connick, Jr — #3 "I Wish You Love"
  • 1996 Voodoo Mama/Hear Me In The Harmony (CD-single) — Harry Connick, Jr — #1 "Voodoo Mama"
  • 1998 New Orleans... My Home Town — Harry Connick, Sr. — #2 "Rocky Mountain Moon"
  • 1999 Come By Me, Japan — Harry Connick, Jr — "Just A Closer Walk With Thee"
  • 1999 And So This Is Christmas — Various Artists — "Silver Bells"
  • 2002 The Season for Romance — Lee Ann Womack & Harry Connick, Jr (duet) — "Baby It's Cold Outside"
  • 2000 Come By Me, France — Harry Connick, Jr — "Parle Plus Bas"
  • 2007 Marsalis Music Honors Series: Bob French — Bob French — Sitting in on piano
  • 2008 Wonder in the World — Kelli O'Hara - arranged and orchestrated by Connick, three tracks written by Connick, plays piano on 12 of the 14 tracks, and sings a duet with O'Hara.

[edit] Filmography

Year Film information Role
TBA Chilled in Miami
  • Ted Mitchell
2008 Living Proof
  • Release Date: October 2008
  • Genre: documentary film
  • Distributed by: Lifetime
2007 P.S. I Love You
  • Daniel Connelly
2007 Bug
  • Jerry Goss
2005 The Happy Elf
  • Lil' Farley (narrator)
2004 Mickey
  • Glen Ryan (Tripp Spence)
2003 Basic
  • Pete Vilmer
2001 Life Without Dick
  • Daniel Gallagher
2001 The Simian Line
  • Release Date: November 16, 2001
  • Genre: drama
  • Distributed by: Gabriel Film Group
  • Rick
2001 South Pacific
  • Lt. Joseph Cable
2000 My Dog Skip
  • Release Date: 2000
  • Genre: drama
  • Distributed by: Warner Bros.
  • Narrator
1999 Wayward Son
  • Release Date:
  • Genre: drama
  • Distributed by:
  • Jesse Banks Rhodes
1999 The Iron Giant
  • Release Date: 1999
  • Genre: animated science fiction
  • Distributed by: Warner Bros.
  • Dean McCoppin
1998 Hope Floats
  • Justin Matisse
1997 Excess Baggage
  • Greg Kistler
1996 Independence Day
  • Captain Jimmy Wilder
1995 Copycat
  • Daryll Lee Cullum
1991 Little Man Tate
  • Eddie
1990 Memphis Belle
  • Sgt. Clay Busby

[edit] Various

[edit] Videography

[edit] Broadway

[edit] Further reading

[edit] References

  1. ^ Internet Broadway Database: Harry Connick, Jr. Credits on Broadway. Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
  2. ^ Harry Connick, Jr. Biography (1967-)
  3. ^ Feher, Heather. "HARRY CONNICK JR. TO BE GRACE'S NEW BOYFRIEND", Zap2it, 2002-09-26. Retrieved on 2007-12-24. 
  4. ^ Stephanie Mansfield, "Deconstructing Harry", Vogue, April 1998: 211, 214, 216; online posting, connick.com, accessed July 17, 2007
  5. ^ System and method for coordinating music display among players in an orchestra.
  6. ^ Kelli O'Hara gets ready to ring in the holidays and prepares for a busy new year; Neal Huff engages in some Trumpery; and Jenn Gambatese enlivens Is He Dead?Feature on TheaterMania.com
  7. ^ http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/default.asp
  8. ^ allmusic
  9. ^ Billboard.biz - Music Business - Billboard Charts - Album Sales - Concert Tours
  10. ^ playbill article, May 5, 2008, Connick, Jr. to Return to Broadway in Nice Work If You Can Get It; Marshall at Helm Retrieved 5-6-2008

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Harry Connick, Jr.
Studio vocal albums
Studio instrumental albums
Movie, TV and Broadway
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Awards
Preceded by
Bill Conti
for 75th Annual Academy Awards		 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction
2004
for Only You: In Concert		 Succeeded by
Michael Kosarin
for A Christmas Carol
Preceded by
Joni Mitchell
for Both Sides Now		 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
2002
for Songs I Heard		 Succeeded by
Tony Bennett
for Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool
Preceded by
Harry Connick, Jr.
for When Harry Met Sally...		 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male
1991
for We Are In Love		 Succeeded by
Take 6
for He Is Christmas
Preceded by
Bobby McFerrin
for Brothers		 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male
1990
for When Harry Met Sally...		 Succeeded by
Harry Connick, Jr.
for We Are In Love
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Connick%2C_Jr."
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