A Song in His Heart

HARVEY GRANAT ON THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK

May 1, 2021 // By Benjamin Lerner

FROM THE HAUNTING introductory notes of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” to the spirited swing rhythm of Cole Porter’s “I Get a Kick Out of You,” the timeless tunes that make up the cherished musical canon known as the “Great American Songbook” are easily recognizable by their signature sound. With gorgeous melodies, stirring harmonic structures, and profound lyrics, these early-to-mid-20th-century songwriting masterpieces are exquisite embodiments of creative ingenuity. Their evocative chord progressions tug at the heartstrings of listeners of all ages, transporting them back to an era that is widely regarded as the “Golden Age” of American pop music.

As the Great-grandson of the famed American composer Irving Berlin, I have a special connection to the Great American Songbook. Growing up, I spent many holiday evenings singing songs like “White Christmas” and “Cheek to Cheek” with my mother, cousins, and grandparents. When I first came across the work of Harvey Granat, his singing and storytelling took me on a nostalgic journey which conjured vivid recollections of those treasured childhood memories.

As a talented singer and vaunted music historian, Granat has dedicated much of his life to the continued preservation of the Great American Songbook tradition. Over the past several decades, Granat has established himself as a respected performer through a series of riveting and memorable live singing engagements all over the country. He has also built up a vast and impressive collection of original American Songbook era music manuscripts and correspondence. Granat and his wife Phyllis are longtime residents of the Berkshires. He has performed at many venues throughout the region on multiple occasions—over 250 shows at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, and a series of shows at Gateways Inn in Lenox and Berkshire South Regional Community Center in Great Barrington.

Through years of organic networking, Granat has built close relationships with some of America’s most acclaimed songwriters and performers, as well as their family members. For many of his live shows, Granat invites revered creators and their loved ones to join him onstage and tell their personal stories. By integrating their candid reflections with heartwarming renditions of Great American Songbook classics, Granat has been able to charm and dazzle countless audiences with unforgettable performances—and shed light on the historical context behind many of America’s favorite songs. I had the privilege of speaking with Granat and asking him some questions about his life, his manuscript collection, and his career highlights. His thoughtful responses offer crucial insight into the cultural impact of the Great American Songbook, the critical value of collaborative performance, and the transformative power of self-expression.

How did you first get involved with music? Music was always an important part of my upbringing. My Greatgrandfather was a cantor, and my grandfather and mother had beautiful voices as well. When I was growing up, I would always tell my mom and dad, “Don’t give me a birthday party. Take me to see Annie Get Your Gun. Take me to see Oklahoma.” I was always very interested in Broadway. I sang from a very early age. I was actually on a national radio broadcast when I was seven or eight. There was a radio show back then called the Uncle Don Show, which was on the air five days a week and had a very large audience. That was my first taste of public performance.

How did you get back into performing professionally as an adult? I worked in the field of business for many years. I was the CEO of a stock exchange-listed equipment leasing company. I then ran an investment company, and I also served as chairman of NASBIC, which stands for the National Association of Small Business Investment Companies. I’m still active in the business world. I’m currently a managing director for a company called CSG Partners, the country’s leading ESOP advisory firm. In the late 1980s, I became friends with a Tony® Award-winning actor named Michael Moriarty. He had a nonprofit theater company. I served as the chairman of the board for his company, and I helped him raise a lot of money. One night, he said to me, “You’ve really helped me. I’d love to pay back the favor. Do you have an unfulfilled wish?” I said, “Yes I do. You don’t know this about me, Michael, but I am a singer, and I would love to do a live cabaret show in New York. I’d like you to produce it and direct it.” He had me sing for him, and he liked what he heard. From there, we worked on my show together for four months until we both thought that it was ready. He then got me my first, second, and third club gigs in New York City. After that, my career just continued to blossom.

What are some of your favorite highlights from your performance career over the years? I have really enjoyed all of the collaborative programs that I have done with composers, songwriters, and their family members. It’s incredibly exciting for me when I can do a program on Hoagy Carmichael and feature his son as my guest, a program on Leonard Bernstein where his daughter is my guest, or a program on Frank Loesser where his daughter and biographer are my guests. I did a great program with Charles Strouse, the composer of Annie and Bye Bye Birdie. I also did a wonderful program with Marvin Hamlisch’s widow. It was a very special, revelatory, and personal program. These programs are part of a very successful series that I have been doing at the 92nd St Y in NYC these past seven years and continue to do monthly. Two other highlights for me were several engagements at Feinstein’s at the Regency and an Evening of Sammy Cahn at Lincoln Center Library of the Performing Arts.

You’ve also produced a Broadway show with four-time Academy® Awardwinning lyricist and songwriter Sammy Cahn. How did that happen? One night, my wife and I went to the 92nd Street Y in New York City to see Sammy Cahn perform as part of their “Lyrics and Lyricists” series. I was blown away by the show. I told my wife, “This is a show that should be on Broadway.” It was great. I went backstage and introduced myself to him, and I said, “I’ve never produced anything on Broadway—so you would be taking a chance—but I can promise you that I’ll get behind this show 110 percent and line up an experienced producer and partner to work with me on it. Would you do it?” He said, “I’m a very busy guy. I write special songs for Sinatra, I write lyrics for Dean Martin, and I’m writing my own Broadway show. The most I can give you is three years.” I said “Three years? That’s a lifetime on Broadway!” We ended up doing the show, and it played for a year and a half and got rave reviews. We took it all over the United States and overseas. That’s how the friendship developed between Sammy and I. At the time, he was chairman of the board of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He invited me to sit on the board with him. It was a great thrill to meet a great number of incredible songwriters and to be part of that whole scene. I was like a kid in a candy store.

How have you been able to balance your career in business with your musical performances? Originally, I was entirely focused on the business side of my career. The music just was a creative outlet. Ten to 12 years ago, the balance started to shift. I started to do more and more professional performing. I still have a foot in the business world today, but the better part of my time goes into performing. There was a beautiful moment at which the two different sides of my life came together early on in my performing career. When I was scheduled for my first big nightclub appearance, I was scared. I wasn’t frightened to perform. I love to perform. I was concerned with what the bankers and the businesspeople that I dealt with were going to think of me. I thought about it for a while, and I realized that the only way that I was going to get over it was if I invited all of those bankers to the opening night show. That’s exactly what I did. What happened at that performance was magical. Not only did they enjoy it, but at least a half a dozen of them either came up to me that night or wrote me letters later on telling me that I helped them find the courage to do the things that they’ve always wanted to do. One of them was an aspiring poet. Another was a secret songwriter—it was also incredibly fulfilling that I helped them to recognize their own hidden talents.

How did you first get involved in original manuscript collecting? I’ve been collecting original manuscripts and personal letters of American composers for years. It all started with a George Gershwin letter that I bought at an auction. That led to dozens of other letters, which then lead to me owning the original handwritten manuscript of Gershwin’s “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.” I then broadened my collection to include the original manuscripts and letters of Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim, and many other composers, including some wonderful correspondence of your Great-grandfather, Irving Berlin. Today, I have hundreds of pieces in my collection, and I’m very proud to say that there is now an official “Harvey Granat George Gershwin Collection” down at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. I decided that I wanted that part of my collection protected for generations to come, and I couldn’t think of better hands to leave it in than the Library of Congress, which has the world’s largest Gershwin collection.

How would you describe the continued impact of the Great American Songbook on American culture? Someone once asked me in a lecture that I gave, “Is there a book that I can buy called The Great American Songbook?” I said, “No. There is no book.” I always tell people that The Great American Songbook represents the legacy of the greatest songs in American musical history. They’re the classic and timeless standards that have been recorded and re-recorded an infinite number of times but will still never go out of style. Songs like “Stardust” by Hoagy Carmichael and “How Deep is the Ocean?” by your Greatgrandfather, Irving Berlin, will continue to connect with people for generations to come. Those songs might have been written decades ago, but my presumption is that people will continue to sing them decades into the future. The songs have such beautiful words and beautiful music, and they’re a vital part of America’s cultural legacy. In so many instances, they have had a profound personal impact on all of our lives. As long as there are singers who continue to recognize the greatness of these songs and people who continue to enjoy them, I personally believe that the legacy of the Great American Songbook will live on forever.

To find out about Granat’s performances both in-person and online, go to harveygranatsings.com