3) Correspondent on the fast track.

Judy Woodruff was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma but grew up in Augusta, Georgia. She began her reporting career at WAGA-Channel 5, now Fox Five Atlanta.

From 1977 to ’82 Woodruff was NBC’s chief White House correspondent. From 1982 to ’83 she also covered Washington for The Today Show.

For a number of years Woodruff worked at CNN before returning to PBS in 2006.

In 2007 Ms. Woodruff returned to The News Hour with Jim Lehrer where she is currently senior correspondent and also serves as substitute anchor.

In December 1982, the Voice of America asked us to interview Ms. Woodruff in conjunction with the publication of her first book, “This Is Judy Woodruff At the White House.”

Shortly after Richard Tucker and Robert Merrill’s “Live From Carnegie Hall” sell out concert appearance in January 1973, London Records Classical Division  followed up with a two lp release…a recording that is still much sought after close to forty years later.

The home office in New York informed London Records Southeast Branch Manager, Simon House that the famous duo would begin a national tour coinciding with the release and that Atlanta’s Civic Center was on the tour. The message was loud and clear: Do a major rollout. Spare no expense; and by all means, sell a lot of “units”(albums).

After receiving the call I bee-lined straight to Sy’s office with a confession. Before coming to London, I’d worked up the street for several years for MCA/Universal records as its Southeast Promotion Manager. While I was very comfortable working with the big rock, country and r & b acts, I admitted that up to that point I’d never had the occasion to work with classical artists and certainly none with the worldwide reputation of a Richard Tucker or a Robert Merrill. Frankly I was intimidated by the prospect.

At the time the London Classical  Division had one of the largest and most impressive line ups of serious music artists and catalogues in the world under the brilliant helmsmanship of Terry McKuen. McKuen would later become General Director of the San Francisco Opera. Needless to say I felt more than a tad insecure.

Sy was not only a friend, He’d become a father figure to me in my then crazy, mixed-up life. He assured me that everything would go smoothly, that, like Tucker and Merrill, he’d grown up in New York at the same time and that he should have no problem getting over to them if I happened to stumble along the way. Just follow his lead. Not to worry!

Sy had put Tucker and Merrill up at the original Marriott which at the time was located behind the present Marriott Marquis and a stone’s throw from the Civic Center where they were to perform that night. Sy’s plan was for all of us to meet at the Marriott for breakfast, where I would lay out the day’s itinerary of retailer, wholesaler, one-stop and rack jobber visits plus the arranged interviews with print, and radio outlets. Along with the interviews and visits I was to sprinkle a generous number of concert tickets and “free goods”(dee jay copies of the two lp set). After breakfast Sy would return to the branch and it would be just Tucker, Merrill and I. I was to get them back early enough for their stage rehearsal and then Sy would join us that evening for the performance.

Sy and I arrived at the Marriott restaurant before Tucker and Merrill came down so that once again he could pump me up that everything would be okay. When the two entered, I established an instant rapport with Merrill who was warm, accessible, outgoing...and very funny. Tucker was a different story… more reserved, friendly as he needed to be, but much more formal and on the quiet side. That tightened up my you-know-what a bit.

Cheerfully, Sy piped up: “So what’s good here?”

Aiming to please, the allegedly knowledgeable promotion man that I was, tongue immediately ran way ahead of my brain and I  blurted out, “The ham steak here is out of sight!”

The minute the words had left my mouth I knew I’d committed a fatal gaffe. In my mind’s eye I recalled that Tucker not only had started his career as a cantor in the shul, he was also a very observant Jew. Out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed that Tucker’s face had gone ashen. On the other side of the table, Merrill was having difficulty suppressing a giggle.

Before I could begin my litany of mea culpas, Sy came to the rescue…”Ha, ha, ha! What’d I tell you guys on the phone? The kid’s a natural comedian. I knew I had a winner when I brought him on board." He kept this up until even I started believing the B.S.!

After that it was smooth sailing. Later I would learn that Sy had literally been childhood friends of the two operatic icons and had played stick ball with them on the streets of Brooklyn. I also learned later that all three had conspired to “play” the green kid that morning at the Marriott. Thank God I never engaged them in a poker game.

Sadly, a few months later, Tucker, the great tenor, would die of a heart attack while touring with Merrill in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  He is the only person whose funeral has been held on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.

In tribute to his legacy at the Met, the city of New York designated the park adjacent to Lincoln Center as Richard Tucker Square.

While escorting Tucker and Merrill that day for the courtesy calls and interviews, they regaled me with jokes and stories of their growing up in Brooklyn. I knew I would never forget that day or the fatherly wisdom Simon House shared with me earlier:

“Son, just keep this in mind. Opera singers are basically no different than any of the other great acts we represent. Like show business, like life…the greater the stars, the ones who know what they’re about, the easier they are to work with.” God rest his soul.  

A few years ago the two lp set of “Live At Carnegie Hall” was  re-released on  cd  on Teldec (Telefunken and Decca combined-Decca being the European name for London Records). An unopened copy of this collector’s item, assuming you can still find one today, probably runs around $150. We invite you to sample one of grand opera’s most beautiful pieces from “Live At Carnegie Hall” sung by two of the world’s greatest opera stars. Perhaps the adage is true: Once a promo man, always a promo man!

*** Citations:
Kilpatrick/Bake story:

"Our Town" - performed by James Taylor; lyrics by Randy Newman.

Promotion man's story:

"Au Fond du Temple Saint" from "The Pearl Fishers" by Georges Bizet.
Performed by Richard Tucker, tenor; Robert Merrill, baritone; piano accompaniment, George Schick. From "Live At Carnegie Hall", January 7, 1973. Teldec re-release. Originally released, promoted, marketed and merchandised under the auspices of: