A Conversation with Marilyn Maye

On Monday, January 5 at seven o'clock in the evening, host Jim Caruso welcomes legendary vocalist Marilyn Maye for an intimate evening filled with joy, laughter, and music! Following her sold-out New Year's run at Birdland, the ninety-seven-year-old wonder will share stories from her extraordinary life in show business, including record-breaking appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, travels around the world, and the devoted fans who follow her every note. Two old friends will reminisce and celebrate a dazzling career that continues to sparkle. And do not worrythere will be musical surprises along the way, thanks to maestro Tedd Firth. From humble beginnings as an amateur contest singing sensation in her native Topeka, Kansas, to seventy-six appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in the mid-1960s, and inclusion in the Smithsonian permanent collection of twentieth-century recordings, vocalist Marilyn Maye has accomplished it all. Despite endless praisethe late Ella Fitzgerald dubbed her "the greatest white female singer in the world"Marilyn was performing infrequently when a 2006 appearance at Lincoln Center sparked a career renaissance. Rex Reed said, "The second coming of Marilyn Maye continues full steam ahead; miss her at your own peril," while the Wall Street Journal stated she has the rhythm and musicianship of a great jazz singer, the projection and personality of a heavyweight Broadway diva. The New York Times' Stephen Holden summed it up: Marilyn's relationship with her fans has the emotional depth and complexity of a solid, rewarding marriage. She has the inexhaustible stamina and vocal heft of a woman half her age, and her spirited optimism is irresistibly contagious.