Two nights ago I went to a performance by Christine Lavin at our local
public library. She was funny as hell, poignant and read from her
recent memoir (subtitled Mem-Wha??). I love her music and, a rarity
in today's world, she sounded exactly like her albums.

At the beginning of the show she introduced a guy in the front row, an
elderly chap, as a great songwriter - Irv Drake. Actually it's Erv,
but I didn't know it at the time, and I didn't recognize the name
anyway, but I clapped dutifully.

A bit later in the show she read an excerpt from her book about Erv
Drake. A truly amazing story about getting his heartbroken at an
early age and writing a song about it, Good Morning Heartache. Say
what? The guy sitting three seats away from me was that guy? The guy
that wrote Billie Holiday's song, the jazz standard covered by nearly
everyone with vocal cords? Wow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk1IKHd_0fk

She then asked him to get up on the stage and play something. Like I
said, he was elderly, 91 as it turns out, and as he sat down and
started to play my jaw dropped. It kept dropping until the floor
stopped it. He was playing It Was A Very Good Year. Holy crap - this
was the guy that wrote one of Sinatra's signature songs!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ervin_Drake

Then he played I Believe, Frankie Laine's #1 hit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qklmcYa1PhM

Like I said, Mr. Drake is songwriting royalty, and he's a really
charming guy. Here's an article that tells a little bit more about
him:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123862611987180187.html
One thing that came out at the show that differs from that article -
he didn't withdraw from Edith's life (the girl that broke his heart),
she booted him on the spot when he proposed. Read the article for the
outcome. (spoiler alert: the outcome at the bottom of the post)

Needless to say, I stuck around afterwards and thanked everyone for
everything. It really was a magical evening, and it was at the local
library for free.

R

SPOILER: They held hands the entire show. Before I knew who he was I
noticed it and it warmed my heart.