George and Ira Gershwin: Homeward Bound

George and Ira Gershwin: Homeward Bound

The 1927 musical Strike Up the Band was a flop, but it contained some of George and Ira Gershwin’s best songs.  One of the lesser-known ones was “Homeward Bound”, sung by soldier boys at the end of a fictitious war in a satirical story. I am inordinately...
John Musto:  Litany

John Musto: Litany

“Litany”, from John Musto’s masterful set of songs Shadow of the Blues is, in my humble but educated opinion, a perfect song.  I actually find it difficult to describe how I feel about this song—it has a profound effect on me every time I hear it. John, who has been...
John Musto:  Old Photograph

John Musto: Old Photograph

I’m one lucky singer to be married to such a gifted song composer as John Musto, so I hope you’ll indulge me as I include one of his songs for this blog.  Choosing one Musto song out of so many feels a bit like Sophie’s choice.  I love them all. But…there is one song...
John Musto: Penelope’s Song

John Musto: Penelope’s Song

I couldn’t do a week of American song blogs without featuring my friend John Musto. I first heard him at a memorial concert for Paul Jacobs, who had been my piano teacher for a little while. John was playing a duo-piano piece (Schubert, I think) that night. Both...