WALTER WILLISON: "DADDY, I HADDA BE A COWBOY" by Willison & Silverman

WALTER WILLISON sings "Daddy, I Hadda Be a Cowboy", from "FRONT STREET GAIETIES: Dodge City's Hottest Revue", in this 1980 appearance on "Mid-Morning LA", accompanied by Jeffrey Silverman. When "FRONT STREET GAIETIES: Dodge City's Hottest Revue" opened on November 11, 1980 at The Mayfair Music Hall, Santa Monica, California, Ron Pennington wrote in The Hollywood Reporter: "Walter Willison has a magnificent voice. John C. Mahoney of The Los Angeles Times praised the score as "More than a dozen new, yet instant, evergreens by Walter Willison and Jeffrey Silverman," and Mr. Pennington summed it up as "An extremely clever concept, marvelously realized and staged and directed, with a number of delightful original songs." The show featured book, lyrics & direction by Mr. Willison, a Tony nominee and Theatre World Award winner whose Broadway appearances include "TWO BY TWO", "PIPPIN", "NORMAN, IS THAT YOU?", "GRAND HOTEL", "A CHRISTMAS CAROL"at Madison Square Garden, Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Schwartz' MASS, and the title role in Wright & Forrest "KEAN" Off-Broadway, in which he again costarred with his "FRONT STREET GAIETIES" leading lady, Susan Watson, Christiane Noll, Robert Sella and Arthur Rubin. Composer Jeffrey Silverman, Associate Conductor of "LES MISERABLES" and "SONG AND DANCE", has written numerous TV and film scores. Willison & Silverman's other collaborations include Bo Derek's first film, "FANTASIES" [aka "ONCE UPON A LOVE"], directed by John Derek, which features several songs with lyrics by Mr. Willison, which he also sings on the film soundtrack, and "BROADWAY SCANDALS OF 1928" Off-Broadway, which starred Diane J. Findlay, Shelley Bruce, Kenny D'Aquila, Joanna Rush, Gwen Hillier-Lowe, Rose Scudder, and Steve Jerro. Also starring in "FRONT STREET GAIETIES: Dodge City's Hottest Revue" were Carol Swarbrick ["SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM", "WHOOPEE!", "GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDS"] succeeding Eileen Barnett ["NINE", "Days of Our Live"], Charles Ward [Bob Fosse's DANCIN'] succeeding Jerry Clark ["OH, CALCUTTA"], Lori Milne, Stephanie Stasny, Manuel Isquierdo, magicians Gregory & Kay, Tracy Cutts and Sue Ann Pinner. Choreographed by Wade Collings, who was then doing double duty appearing on stage with icon Ann-Margaret in Las Vegas and on tour as a member of Roger Smith's acclaimed group of singing/dancing men known as "Raw Satin". Costumes were by Emmy winning and Costume Designers Guild Hall of Fame Award winner Robert Turturice ["MOONLIGHTING", "GIA", "PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE"]. The show was Produced by Willison & Collings with Barbara Custer [Vice President of MGM]. The Original Cast Recording of "FRONT STREET GAIETIES" is available on AEI Records.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Walter Willison
• Jeffrey Silverman
• Front Street Gaieties
• Dodge City
• Mid-Morning LA
• Country Western
• country
• cowboy
• cowboys
• Richard Rodgers
• Two By Two
• Pippin
• gay interest
• Broadway
• musical comedy
• theater
• Tony Award
• Theatre World Award
• Mayfair Music Hall awards