Music History Monday: Elaine Stritch: An Appreciation

Music History Monday: Elaine Stritch: An Appreciation

Author: Robert Greenberg July 17, 2023 Duration: 22:46
Elaine Stritch (1925-2014) circa 2012: a self-professed “tough old dame”
Elaine Stritch (1925-2014) circa 2012: a self-professed “tough old dame”

We mark the death on July 17, 2014 – 9 years ago today – of the Broadway and television actress Elaine Stritch, in Birmingham, Michigan, at the age of 89. 

I personally have a soft spot in my heart for Ms. Stritch the size of Manitoba. She was your quintessential brassy, tart-tongued (a euphemism for foul mouthed), cigarette smoking, alcohol-soaked blonde who took nothing from no one and could sell a song like nobody’s business.  (Please note that I didn’t say “sing a song” but rather, “sell a song.” Her ability to do so will be discussed in tomorrow’s Dr. Bob Prescribes post.)

Elaine Stritch “singing” (selling!) a song during her final engagement at the Cafe Carlyle in New York City, 2013
Elaine Stritch “singing” (selling!) a song during her final engagement at the Cafe Carlyle in New York City, 2013

It is my great hope that by the time you finish this Music History Monday and tomorrow’s Dr. Bob Prescribes posts, you will have come to love her almost as much as I do.

My decision to profile Elaine Stritch is, in my estimation, a great sign of respect, given the other musical events of the day.  Both the tenor saxophonist John Coltrane and the singer Billie Holiday died on this date, in 1967 and 1959, respectively.  (Be assured that both of these luminaries – Coltrane and Holiday – will receive their due on these pages sooner or later.) 

On this date in 1972, James Brown released the seminal funk song, Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag, which went on to sell over 2 million copies and received a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording. 

On this date – again, in 1972 – a bomb exploded under an equipment van in Montreal belonging to The Rolling Stones.  Believed to be the work of French separatists, we’d observe that the bombing might have simply been intended as a critical statement.…

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Every week, Music History Monday arrives with the kind of curiosity that turns dates on a calendar into doorways. Hosted by composer and historian Robert Greenberg, this podcast digs into the stories that happened *around* the music, finding the human moments-sometimes profound, sometimes scandalous, always fascinating-tied to a specific Monday. Greenberg approaches his subjects not as distant icons but as the complicated, brilliant, and often messy people they were, which makes each episode feel like a conversation rather than a lecture. You’ll hear about pivotal premieres, bitter rivalries, unexpected inspirations, and the sheer luck or misfortune that shaped the pieces we know today. The tone is erudite but never dry, packed with context and delivered with a wit that respects the art without putting it on a sterile pedestal. It’s for anyone who loves a good story and suspects that the history behind a symphony or a sonata is just as compelling as the notes themselves. Tune in each Monday with Robert Greenberg to connect the dots between a day in history and the soundtrack it inspired.
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