Celebrity Stories: Hanging with Norman Luboff and Harry Golden


Celebrity Stories

As celebrity stories go, in 1963, there were none much bigger in the popular music world than tales of Norman Luboff and in the left wing press the same was true of Harry Golden. I was on the Norman Luboff Choir’s first national tour as tenor soloist and it was a tragic event that gave me the opportunity, because of our mutual friendship with Norman, to spend some time with Mr. Golden. (What you’re hearing is Norman’s arrangement of Dixie.)

Here’s an excerpt from Three Stages Chapter Six, Sin City and the Road:

“On November 22nd [1963] we were in Charlotte, NC where we had a gig that night. Lucy [my Mom] and Gwen Graves (her old friend from Bristol) were visiting one of Gwen’s daughters who lived in nearby Kannapolis. When we got to town I borrowed Norman’s Jag and drove over to see them. Lucy and Gwen met me at the door and said that the President had just been shot.

“I think that we were the only professional group in the entire country that didn’t cancel their performance that awful night. The house was sold out and the local manager insisted that we go on. We were none too happy about this but Norman had a contract and was legally obligated to honor it. The house seated around 1,200 and there were maybe 400 in the audience. It was not a happy performance.

“Norman was a good friend of the writer, Harry Golden, who lived in Charlotte so the next day, when we had a short trip to our next gig, Norman, I and a couple of others went to Harry’s house.

“Mr. Golden was ensconced in his den with Walter Cronkite on the TV. We found seats and listened as Norman and Harry (mostly Harry) talked about JFK and the assassination. The conversation (mostly monologue) was fascinating and ranged from current events to the history of the South and politics in general. Harry’s insights were penetrating and humorous. At one point he referred to Southern female gentry as ‘the great un-fucked’.

Norman Luboff & Harry Golden

Norman Luboff & Harry Golden

“After several hours we reluctantly had to take our leave and when I got home I bought all of Golden’s books and subscribed to his personal periodical, The Carolina Israelite.

“We got another unscheduled day off when our New Orleans concert was canceled because (Are you ready for this?) in 1963 there was still a state law in Louisiana that prevented black and white performers from sharing a stage!

“The tour was finally over and we were all back to LA before Christmas. Norman returned to New York where we soon became neighbors [on West End Avenue] and remained friends until his early death in 1987.”

There are many stories about the Norman Luboff tour and other showbiz adventures to read when you click here to get Three Stages.

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