Doris Day, Cincinnati's biggest Hollywood star, will be saluted with performances of her hit songs during the induction ceremony Sunday, Oct. 3, at the Mount St. Joseph University Theatre.
Vocalist Mandy Gaines and the Blue Wisp Big Band will perform songs made famous by Day, who died in 2019 at age 97.
Born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff, she starred in 39 films after singing with Barney Rapp's Cincinnati band and touring with Les Browns's Band of Renown in the 1940s. Her hits included "Sentimental Journey," Que Sera Sera," "Day By Day," and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered."
She was honored by the Grammy Awards in 2008 with a lifetime achievement award. In 2017, Walnut Street was given a secondary name of "Doris Day Way" between Sixth and Seventh streets, in front of the Aronoff Center.
Nick Clooney will emcee the 3-5 p.m. program inducting:
- Bill Cunliffe: piano/composer
- Larry Dickson: saxophone/arranger/composer
- Pat Kelly: piano/composer/bandleader/arranger
- George Russell: piano/composer
- Lou Lausche: bass/violin
- The duo of Don Steins: keyboard/arranger/saxophone, and Paul Hawthorne: vibraphone/vocals
The Jazz at Dusk student combo and the Greater Cincinnati Youth Jazz Orchestra also will play, and nine Cincinnati Jazz Hall of Fame scholarship recipients from area high schools will be acknowledged.
The afternoon will include Mary Anne Barothy, Doris Day's personal secretary and biographer, selling and signing her Day at a Time book; artist John Leon displaying and selling his "jazz-z-zy" sculptures; and former WNOP-AM general manager Mark Schlachter selling and signing his book, People and Places of Indiana’s 93rd County.
Tickets may be purchased in advance for $25 plus service fee at .com or by calling 1-800-838-3006. Tickets also will be available at the theater Sunday for $30. Doors open at 2:30 p.m.
From the Cincinnati Jazz Hall of Fame media release:
Mount St. Joseph's COVID-19 protocols require all attendees to wear masks indoors except when eating, drinking or performing. Paper masks and hand sanitizers will be available. All are "strongly encouraged to be vaccinated." Attendees are encouraged to maintain social distancing in the lobby and theater. The theater, with 1,047 seats on the main floor, "should give ample room for social distancing."
About the Cincinnati Jazz Hall of Fame: In 2015, a group of local jazz lovers founded the CJHOF nonprofit organization to bring recognition to Cincinnati's storied jazz scene and rich musical history. IN a ceremony each year, the Hall of Fame's board not only honors musicians for their life's work, but also awards scholarships in jazz studies to worthy high school students in our area.
