Name: Remembering Dave's Original Music Director, Frank Owens | Letterman
Uploaded: 2023-09-17T14:16:27.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Remembering Dave's Original Music Director, Frank Owens | Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2023-09-17. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Remembering Dave's Original Music Director, Frank Owens | Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2023-09-17. Transcript available.

Frank what about you now we've we've seen you here every you've been here
every day yes I have which we can't say that for the rest of the members of the
band well you can't for Frank yes Frank the drummer Frank the drummer has been
here I noticed that they were playing with you not present a moment or two
ago yes well I didn't want them to know that they could do that yeah look at it
could have saved herself some dough along the way had we known that tell me
about your background Frank where'd you begin how'd you get started well I
started out trying to play classical music and I became interested in Earl
Garner I grew up in Harlem and I went to music and art high school anybody
cares
and I grew up of course a foster child and wanting to after I heard Earl Garner
I
wanted to switch to popular music because he did it for me so that sort of
started
me on the road to popular music and from then on things have been pretty much
uphill I guess I've been with many singers you know as musical director Johnny
Mathis Chubby Checker Freda Payne John Denver Petula Clark for the longest
association and I've done Broadway things you know Black Broadway I did and oh
I
can't even remember them all now you know you and Ed worked Vegas for a while
you
had kind of
tell me about the Apollo Theater oh yes I'm glad you asked this is this is a
legendary thing isn't it yes it is I was fortunate enough to to be around when
they had the amateur night in Harlem and as a matter of fact I went on as an
amateur and I won two weeks in a row first prize which was at that time $15
which
is not bad and the competition is just very
yes it is the third week I played something from showboat that nobody
recognized I got third prize then I used to hang around the theater because I
wanted to get the job as the musical accompanist and so I persisted and I
guess they felt sorry for me so they gave me the job and then Johnny Mathis had
heard of me there and then that's how I started working for all these singers
who
else worked at the Apollo or came out of all a lot of people I think Sarah Vaughn
did I
know Millie Jackson people like that Barbara McNair with whom I was
associated at one point and many singers that I can't even remember now is it
still operating I don't think so no I think that it's defunct I think they have
had several musicals in the past you like Miss Truth a Lewis Johnson
spectacular
but I think at the moment it's not there nothing's happening with it I tell you
what we got just a second why don't we turn the camera on here and we'll say
hello to the guys introduce the folks again yes we have Frank Derek on drums
Frank
also does ain't misbehaving Frank Derek thank you Bob Rose on guitar and Jay
Lenhardt on bass we have a real treat for you this morning the music of Frank
Owens and the symphony orchestra don't cry for me Argentina here's Frank Owens
and the symphony
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.