Tibbett sings "I got plenty of nothin !" from Porgy and Bess

[stevosomebizzare]

love and devotion

[SatchmoSings]

I'm amazed at how the Syrian strong--man, Bashar al-Assad so strongly resembles Tibbett.

Separated at birth, perhaps?

[unclejuniorsoprano]

That Gershwin thought so much of Tibbett is hard to argue with, as Tibbett sings it quite well. However, I feel that Willard White IS Porgy. Composers quite often are not the best interpreters of their own music. Examples are numerous. I doubt, for instance, that Gershwin himself could play his piano music as well as did Oscar Levant.

[hswatnik]

he is supreme on this-

[stevevandien]

Tibbett suffered a vocal crisis in late 1940-early-41. Apparently it stemmed from his efforts to sing despite strep throat in mid-1940. Ever after, a spastic condition plagued his voice. It closed his throat and made his voice crack when he least expected it to do so. Not surprisingly, Tibbett's tendencies toward alcohol abuse increased during those years. Eventually they killed him, sad to say:) -- This is best described in "Beloved Rogue," the best Tibbett biography to date

[riigoletto]

i adore the man

[opera888able]

L.T. undoutedly one the great baritones of the last century and tho he sings this peice with his usual great skill, dare i say it its a bit too perfect? 

[eotto2001]

I had heard this but I didn't know that Tibbett was a white man. Great post.

[Bonacrik]

One of my favorite all time recordings

[TheEllingt0n]

Todd Duncan will always sing Porgy better than anyone i've ever heard

[paulostroff99]

Awesome

[65attila]

@paulostroff99

Thank you for sharing.

This and all the highlights from Porgy and Bess which Tibbett recorded with Helen Jepson are tremendous..

primobaritono  thank you for posting

Regards-John

[paulostroff99]

Awesome

[jmark2165]

this guy sounds white ass hell, this song needs soul something this guy doesnt have....

[SatchmoSings]

jmark2165--

Something tells you me you'd not have said this if you'd just been played the record "cold."

Then again, maybe not . .

[raphaelhudson]

primobaritono, isn't that wierd since it is written into the score isn't it that the cast must be black?

[safeinpants]

@raphaelhudson Tibbett couldn't have played the part on stage, but I think Gershwin was saying that his voice was the ideal Porgy voice.

Interestingly, Porgy is usually played by basses nowadays. I think it works better with a baritone who has the low notes but also ringing top notes, which is the way the part was usually cast in the '30s and '40s.

[madamerotten]

One of the best Porgys ever to grace American opera.

[j72050]

...every comment on Tibbett in so many biographies and statements I have read say he was the sweetest, most congenial friendly man.......his alcoholism was so sad.....to his early demise......

[ipmoic]

He had a huge ego, but he had the goods to back it up.

[operalament]

you know, Tibbett said in and interview, "with all do respect, is still like my porgy best". so do i

[maya11780]

i did colorguard in marching band to this. but it was wayyyyy different

[bulbataras]

Great stuff! By the way, what is the picture at 2:35? In this costume he looks like Nestor Makhno.

[primobaritono]

That pic if of Tibbett in his first movie which is now lost. It was with Laurel and Hardy and titled "The Rogue Song". Tibbett played a bandit leader.

[madamerotten]

@primobaritono At least the soundtrack still exists, however.

[paulostroff99]

Emperor of baritones.Bravo!

[mslovey]

hes good like robeson,wow!!!

[stevevandien]

Great stuff. I first heard this as an 18-year-old baritone some thirty years ago, when I was singing "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin" in concerts. Was pretty decent, if I do say so myself, but Tibbett is in a class by himself:) --

[blakemooney]

Tibbett didn't suffer fools or fans. I remember reading about a brawl he had with some soprano behind the curtain and without further ado he scooped her up but immediately dropped her on her derriere! No lawsuit developed and the Met survived and didn't fire him. John Charles Thomas caused me to start using my full name so attractive did his look and sound, but little it did for me. So I concluded at 20 it must be something else! Hah!

[blakemooney]

Tibbett was a leading baritone at the Met, a popular recording artist, owner of a magnificent voice who admitted that Merrill probably had the most beautiful tone of all the baritones. Sadly, he saw his voice decline early and by age 51 he was more or less retired from the Met. Warren then moved to the top and Merrill was second in command. See Joe Shore's writeup: "before Warren there was Tibbett."

[primobaritono]

Do you know of John Charles Thomas ? He too was a Met baritone in the 30's and 40's and a great singer.

[blakemooney]

Yes indeed! He was a great singer. In fact, I found myself mentally identifying with Thomas more than Tibbett. The talk in the mid to late 40's where I was studying voice in St. Louis was always about these two gentlemen. But Tibbett seemed tough, one who brooked no discontent where he was concerned whereas Thomas seemed playful, tolerant. I woldn't tighten up if I had had the opportunity to sing for him.

[primobaritono]

My dad says he visited John Charles at his ranch in apple valley with his friend, the tenor William Olvis. He says Thomas was a very pleasant, welcoming man. From what I could gather from Tibbett's biography "Dear Rogue", Tibbett was very into himself.....an egomaniac perhaps.