Even with birthdays separated by 60 years and 10 days, entertainers Nellie McKay and Doris Day are cut from the same cloth. The two share a passion for animal rights, a sunny gosh-gee-swell positivity and a love for the Great American Songbook—as well as a depth, complexity and progressivism that belies the toothy grins for which both are known.
McKay's Verve Records salute to the woman born Doris Mary Ann Von Kappelhoff, Normal As Blueberry Pie – A Tribute to Doris Day, features the iconic New York singer/songwriter interpreting a colorful selection of songs from Day's extensive recordings—with the smart arrangements and crackerjack instrumentalists listeners have come to expect.
“We were trying to connect with the many time periods in Doris' life,” McKay explains, “from the big bands to the post-McCarthy era.”
For Nellie, producing, arranging, and performing Normal As Blueberry Pie was the natural outcome of all the years she has spent listening enraptured to Ms. Day's music. “She was -- and still is -- ahead of her time,” says Nellie, who was awarded the Doris Day Music Award in 2005 for “The Dog Song” in recognition of her dedication to animal rights. Nellie reviewed a recent biography of Day for The New York Times, and is one of the few people in 30 years to be granted an interview with Ms. Day (The Bark magazine, 2007). “What she possessed -- beyond her beauty, physical grace and natural acting ability -- was a resplendent voice that conveyed enormous warmth and feeling,” writes Nellie.
What does one make of Nellie McKay? She is, simply, brilliant, intensely independent, and truly satisfying as an entertainer. Hers was a "don't miss" night when she first appeared at The Shedd in 2007. It will be another don't miss night for this, her second appearance.