Great American Songbook Memorial Day Special

WHQR presents a special program for this year's Memorial Day commemoration. Since 2010 WHQR has presented daily segments of the Great American Songbook, produced by George Scheibner with Dr. Philip Furia. Collectively the episodes present an enduring body of classic American song, performed generation after generation by musicians and singers.

The special will focus on songs from the tradition that have had special relevance in times of war -- songs that evoke nostalgia, longing for home and the safety of loved ones fighting and working for our country. Selections include songs by:

Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Ira Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein, Johnny Mercer, Les Brown, and Herman Hupfeld.

Artists include Noel Coward, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mercer, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Doris Day, Carol Sloane, Gene Kelly, James Cagney, Houston Person Quartet, and Canadian Brass.

Dr. Philip Furia is Professor of Creative Writing at UNC Wilmington. His early fascination with lyric poetry, as interpreted by lyricists working in the traditions of Tin Pan Alley, Broadway and Hollywood, has resulted in his recognized expertise in the music of 20th-century America. His publications include:

The Songs of Hollywood, co-author Laurie Patterson (2010)

America's Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley (2006)

Skylark: The Life and Times of Johnny Mercer (2003)

Irving Berlin: A Life in Song (2001)

Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist (1997)

The Poets of Tin Pan Alley: A History of America's Great Lyricists (1992)

We hope you enjoy this special program.