corky hale's career

While Corky was performing on the weekly Freddie Martin show, she got a phone call.

"Hello, my name is George, and I play the violin and my brother, Walter, is a piano player. We saw you and love your harp playing. We're starting a new television show, and we'd love for you to join us."

So Corky joined what would become an immensely popular television show starring Liberace. The show took off right away. She toured with Liberace, appeared in his movie, Sincerely Yours, and accompanied him for three years. She also bleached her dark hair platinum blonde, since Liberace convinced her that it would pick up the lights better.

"He became the most popular entertainer in the world at that time. He was also the nicest, sweetest man, and my really good buddy."

Meanwhile, back in Illinois, her parents, thinking that Corky was still in college, finally discovered their now platinum blonde daughter on television. Not only did they see Corky, their neighbors also saw Corky. Immediately, her mother flew to Los Angeles and found her daughter not in classes, but in TV shows, and she was making good money at it.

"I was 18 years old. I had my own apartment, I bought myself a big white Buick convertible. When I think of the money I was throwing away..."

One show followed another, Liberace, The Red Skelton Show and most of the other variety shows of that time.

"I got a call from Cecil B. DeMille."

And the result was that her harp music can be heard accompanying Anne Baxter in The Ten Commandments.

So at a tender age, Merrilyn Hecht and her harp were all over the little screen, and her music was on one of the biggest films every made for the big screen.

But what happened with the piano? -- Read on

Live and On Stage

"I always have considered myself a pianist."

Ironically, Corky's early successes have focused on the harp while piano has been her primary instrument since she was three years old.

"Without fail, almost entirely, everywhere I go, everyone says, 'Oh, Corky Hale, you're the harpist'...I get crazy about that. I say, 'Yes, I'm really a pianist, but most people know me as the harpist.'"

Her public association with the harp continues, although by the mid-50's, her piano began to slowly advance to a front position. She appeared at the Coconut Grove nightclub, joining again with the Freddie Martin Orchestra, first as a harpist, then adding piano during intermissions. And still later, when they found she could sing, she was asked to do vocals.

"That was unbelievably glamorous. Remember, I'm from a small farm town, and there I am in probably the most glamorous place in the United States. I would look down every night and there was Lana Turner and Robert Taylor and Van Johnson, and the biggest stars in the whole world. And every week the Coconut Grove would book a big act."

These acts were the leading performers of the day, including Martin and Lewis, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee. And there was also that singer named, Frank Sinatra, although it was at his low point, with his marriage to Ava Gardner ending and not much work coming his way. In fact, a newspaper review during that time talked of Sinatra's thin voice and waning career, but the writer mentioned to look out for the young lady playing the harp and intermission piano.

The young lady went on to date Frank Sinatra a few years later. Says Corky,

"If Frank was invited someplace very nice, he would often invite me, because I made a very nice appearance, and we could talk about music if he got bored...I thought he was divine."

While at the Coconut Grove, Merrilyn Hecht eventually became known as Corky Hale. She was also asked to play and sing with other bands, such as Harry James, Ray Anthony, and Jerry Grey. She was actually one of the first women piano players with a big band. And she began to accompany Mel Torme.

It was the mid-50's, when Jerry Grey brought her to Las Vegas to sing and play piano with the band. On opening day of rehearsal, Jerry mentioned that they had booked a last-minute act.

"And in walked Billie Holiday!"

Looking over at Corky Hale, all cute and platinum blonde, a skeptical Billie asked who the piano player was. But at the end of the rehearsal session, Billie was satisfied and said to Corky,

"You is my little girl."

She hired Corky to play with her at Los Angeles' Jazz City. She then asked Corky to accompany her to the Phillipines, but Corky had discovered that Billie's husband at the time was far from the likeable and upstanding man portrayed in the movie, Lady Sings The Blues. She was not comfortable traveling with him, and reluctantly turned down the gig.

"Billie died a year and a half later."

By this time, Corky's parents had also moved to Los Angeles. After all, somebody had to look after their platinum blonde, unmarried daughter who was hanging around with musicians and working in nightclubs and movie soundstages and television. At the very least, their Corky needed some stability, so they opened up a clothing store for her on the Sunset Strip, called, Corky Hale.

It put a halt to her musical career, and although the store was an immediate success, Corky was unhappy there. However, Corky found herself linked to another adventure; while looking at a line of Italian knits, she met the president of the knit company, a charming Englishman. She fell in love. In late 1957, they were married. It lasted four years.

"The one good thing that came out of that is that I speak fluent Italian."

During the marriage, she lived part of the time in Italy, and she loved it, so after the divorce, Corky moved to Italy for three years. She appeared there on a weekly television show, Tempo di Jazz, and now her hair its natural dark color, she appeared Italian-looking enough to get some bit parts in Italian movies. Back in Los Angeles, her parents ran the shop.

Corky returned home in 1966, but found she was unhappy in Los Angeles, so she moved to New York. Restless there as well, she went on to London, and there ran into another musical connection, Tony Martin. He invited her to be his piano accompanist, so she moved back to New York, commuting to Los Angeles and Las Vegas for Tony Martin's nightclub acts. This arrangement did not last long, and in New York, Corky began playing her harp on Tony Bennett recordings. While in New York, she also got a call from the legendary writing/producing team of hit rock 'n roll songs, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. They wanted Corky to join them on demos with harp and piano. She went for a meeting in their office.

"I saw Mike Stoller and lightning struck."

They started dating, eventually moved in together, and in 1970, Corky and Mike were married. Although the couple lived in New York, they were working on both coasts, Corky busy accompanying artists such as Peter Allen, Judy Collins and James Brown, as well as Tony Bennett, and Barbra Streisand, who used Corky in her first three television shows. Corky is still impressed with Streisand's musical savvy:

"She is my idol. She can do no wrong. I think she is the greatest voice, the smartest woman."

Corky also performed instrumentally and vocally on commercials; in fact, she was the Barton's kosher candy voice. And in case you're wondering about her spare time, there was the restaurant, Corky's, that she opened on the Upper East Side. The restaurant has since closed, but Corky still loves to cook for her family and visitors at the Stollers' impressive hilltop home overlooking Los Angeles, where they moved in 1989.

Los Angeles is where most of their work is now, and where much of both their families live. Corky's brother is a lawyer, her father has died; her mother lived well into her 90’s, traveling, wearing Chanel suits, active in Los Angeles charities and well-known in the community. Corky called her, “Los Angeles' Auntie Mame. “”

Although she is pleased with the unexpected praise for her vocals on the new CD, Corky still loves her piano best. With pride she stresses,

"I was Billie Holiday's pianist, I don't know what else I can say. I was Mel Torme's piano player."

In the last several years Corky recorded on Bjork’s album Debut, and was brought by Bjork to London to back her in her MTV Special.

Singer George Michael subsequently bought the album in London and told his producer, “Find this woman, I want to record with her.” Corky was flown to New York to record the album Songs of the Century with George. He then flew her to London to appear with him at Royal Albert Hall on the bill with Elton John and Boy George. Later he brought her to Washington, D.C. to appear in a human rights concert before 40,000 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium.

A great respecter of lyrics and lyricists, Corky questioned why composer Harry Warren alone is always credited for the hits of the 1930's that he wrote with lyricist Al Dubin. This led to her successful Los Angeles theatrical production, Lullaby of Broadway, dealing with the life of lyricist Al Dubin. Later renamed Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Corky’s show sold out Florida’s Coconut Grove Playhouse in 2003.

Although she is currently busy producing theater and movie projects, she still finds time to occasionally perform. Her jazz club Corky’s is now open in Hollywood and she can be heard playing piano and singing there.

One thing is sure -- the career of Corky Hale continues, full of twists and turns, but certainly fascinating.

Off Stage

Off the musical stage, Corky Hale is just as active on the community stage, promoting the ideals she believes in.

At the University of Wisconsin, Corky was one of the first, and certainly one of the few white students to join the NAACP.

She was a birth control teacher at Planned Parenthood in New York is presently on the National Advisory Board of NARAL.

She is an American Film Institute Associate.

She works for charities such as the Los Angeles Free Clinic, where she produced and headlined a show co-starring Rod McKuen.

She is founder of Angel Harvest, an organization which redistributes unused foods from restaurants, hotels, and events, to the hungry and needy people of greater Los Angeles.

-Elizabeth Ahlfors

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