I began my
singing “career” at a very early age when my
grandfather took me to church with him and insisted
on me singing “The 23rd Psalm”. I do not remember
too much of that except that when my grandmother
learned about it she was upset at him for making me
do it “in front of so many people”. I was only too
happy because Granddad promised me some of his
special colored pencils!
Singing has always been a part of my family life. Every Saturday or Sunday mother would play the piano and we would gather round and sing. I loved to sing and also loved an audience and dreamed that one day I would be a big star like Debbie Reynolds or Doris Day? All right, so now you know what era I am from.
At the age of eighteen I came to America, by myself, to become a Nanny! That was the only way I could pull it off! I was not here too long before I found myself in Washington sitting with a girlfriend and fellow Nanny, at the Drug Fair soda counter, on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue, very close to the White House and a gentleman struck up a conversation with us. He told us his name and asked us our names and told us that he had played the part of Scarface in the movie Al Capone. He seemed believable and offered to take us on a tour of Washington in his private limo. Go figure! We took him up on that and did just as he said he would do.
During the course of our conversation, my friend, Cathy told him that I liked to sing. It did not ever take much to persuade me to perform for our new friend. Next thing I knew it was late and he took us to dinner and then to the office of his attorney where he spoke to the attorney and then asked to use the phone. (Don’t forget – there were no cell phones back then!) He let me listen in on the other end, the voice answered, “The Living Room – how may I help you?”
“Scarface” (I do not remember his real name) said, “Is Mr. Sinatra there? I have a young lady I want to talk to him about!” The young lady on the other end seemed to know our friend and said that she would check. Shortly she came back on the phone and said that Mr. Sinatra was tied up and could he please call him back in the morning. She gave Scarface the number and that was it!
Our friend had his driver drive us all the way back to Rockville to our separate homes where we were doing our Nanny thing. He came along for the ride and I gave him my phone number.
Scarface called the next day while I was working and my employer took the call. The next thing I had a sit down talk with the parents of my charges and they simply said that I was not permitted to talk to this man (Scarface) and they would be most upset if he called again. I felt extremely sad and also felt that I had missed a real chance to be a big star. Don’t forget, I was only eighteen years old! Was that a missed opportunity? I will never know.
A year or so later I became involved with what was then known as “The British Embassy Players”, This was an amateur theatrical group and I got to sing and act in many productions there. I did my fare share of producing and directing too and absolutely loved my involvement there, which lasted many years.
One night, after an event, I was wearing a costume with lots of mother of pearl buttons on it and standing with some friends on the corner of King Street, outside the Fish-Market Restaurant, in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia when someone asked me about the costume. I told them the history of the costume and told them that people used to sing in them back in the day. This person asked me to sing – so I did!
The next thing, a crowd of people gathered round me. This rather, shall I say, portly gentleman pushed his way through the crowd and handed me his card and told me to call him in the morning!
I have to say that I found this all very amusing. Six months later I happened to see his card and a friend of mine was looking for singing work and I called, our portly friend, whose name was Mr. Ray and as soon as he came on the phone I did not introduce myself, I simply said, “Mr. Ray, do you ever hire folk singers?” To which he replied, “No! But you are the young lady who was singing outside my restaurant last year!” I said, “That is right!” Mr. Ray said, “I want you to come and sing in my restaurant!”
That was the beginning of my cabaret career! Just as an aside – it is now thirty or so years later and my sweet husband Harry and I stopped into the Fish Market in Alexandria and who do we run into? We were talking to the Chef, Moussa and he asked me, “Mahri, was it Herb Greenlee who played the piano for you when you sang here?” I said, “Yes! I haven’t seen him in thirty years!” Moussa said, “Well he is sitting right over there!”
We had a lovely re-union and I have been singing with him and some other musicians at a wonderful little spot in Alexandria called, Saint Elmo’s Coffee Pub. Now, that is the law of attraction at work in my life!
Singing has always been a part of my family life. Every Saturday or Sunday mother would play the piano and we would gather round and sing. I loved to sing and also loved an audience and dreamed that one day I would be a big star like Debbie Reynolds or Doris Day? All right, so now you know what era I am from.
At the age of eighteen I came to America, by myself, to become a Nanny! That was the only way I could pull it off! I was not here too long before I found myself in Washington sitting with a girlfriend and fellow Nanny, at the Drug Fair soda counter, on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue, very close to the White House and a gentleman struck up a conversation with us. He told us his name and asked us our names and told us that he had played the part of Scarface in the movie Al Capone. He seemed believable and offered to take us on a tour of Washington in his private limo. Go figure! We took him up on that and did just as he said he would do.
During the course of our conversation, my friend, Cathy told him that I liked to sing. It did not ever take much to persuade me to perform for our new friend. Next thing I knew it was late and he took us to dinner and then to the office of his attorney where he spoke to the attorney and then asked to use the phone. (Don’t forget – there were no cell phones back then!) He let me listen in on the other end, the voice answered, “The Living Room – how may I help you?”
“Scarface” (I do not remember his real name) said, “Is Mr. Sinatra there? I have a young lady I want to talk to him about!” The young lady on the other end seemed to know our friend and said that she would check. Shortly she came back on the phone and said that Mr. Sinatra was tied up and could he please call him back in the morning. She gave Scarface the number and that was it!
Our friend had his driver drive us all the way back to Rockville to our separate homes where we were doing our Nanny thing. He came along for the ride and I gave him my phone number.
Scarface called the next day while I was working and my employer took the call. The next thing I had a sit down talk with the parents of my charges and they simply said that I was not permitted to talk to this man (Scarface) and they would be most upset if he called again. I felt extremely sad and also felt that I had missed a real chance to be a big star. Don’t forget, I was only eighteen years old! Was that a missed opportunity? I will never know.
A year or so later I became involved with what was then known as “The British Embassy Players”, This was an amateur theatrical group and I got to sing and act in many productions there. I did my fare share of producing and directing too and absolutely loved my involvement there, which lasted many years.
One night, after an event, I was wearing a costume with lots of mother of pearl buttons on it and standing with some friends on the corner of King Street, outside the Fish-Market Restaurant, in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia when someone asked me about the costume. I told them the history of the costume and told them that people used to sing in them back in the day. This person asked me to sing – so I did!
The next thing, a crowd of people gathered round me. This rather, shall I say, portly gentleman pushed his way through the crowd and handed me his card and told me to call him in the morning!
I have to say that I found this all very amusing. Six months later I happened to see his card and a friend of mine was looking for singing work and I called, our portly friend, whose name was Mr. Ray and as soon as he came on the phone I did not introduce myself, I simply said, “Mr. Ray, do you ever hire folk singers?” To which he replied, “No! But you are the young lady who was singing outside my restaurant last year!” I said, “That is right!” Mr. Ray said, “I want you to come and sing in my restaurant!”
That was the beginning of my cabaret career! Just as an aside – it is now thirty or so years later and my sweet husband Harry and I stopped into the Fish Market in Alexandria and who do we run into? We were talking to the Chef, Moussa and he asked me, “Mahri, was it Herb Greenlee who played the piano for you when you sang here?” I said, “Yes! I haven’t seen him in thirty years!” Moussa said, “Well he is sitting right over there!”
We had a lovely re-union and I have been singing with him and some other musicians at a wonderful little spot in Alexandria called, Saint Elmo’s Coffee Pub. Now, that is the law of attraction at work in my life!