For episode 6 of Man and His Music, “Vocal Styles,” Dad and his producers came up with the idea of casting the content in terms of a talk show, the likes of which were as popular then as they are now, if a bit less caffeinated.  The model used was the shows of Mike Douglas or Merv Griffin, whereby guests engaged in serious dialogue on subjects from time to time and weren’t merely peddling their latest wares (movies, books, albums, etc.).  Hence, the experience was often (not always) more intellectually stimulating than what we get today with the offerings from Kelly Ripa and less political than what we get from The View.  Politics weren’t off limits–far from it–but they were discussed, by and large, respectfully and without the vitriol with which so much of our current political conversation is laced.

The host of the “show” here is Cincinnati media maven Rob Reider, who played the cheery sidekick to the older and more mature Bob Braun on the local daily noontime The Bob Braun Show.  (George Clooney’s uncle, Nick, had a rival show that aired around the same time on a different local channel.)  Reider had a marvelous singing voice, so his serving in this role would have made sense to Cincinnatians.  He also fancied himself the comedian, which we see here throughout the episode.  His continual mispronouncing of Dad’s name I’m pretty sure was an ad lib.  Dad seems caught off guard initially but soon settles into the schtick and rolls with the punches like the pro he was.  It would not have been unlike Reider to throw this into the mix at the last minute to spice things up a bit, and, in fact, it does add an edge to what would have started to become a bit predictable by the halfway point of the show.

Along the way, as always, we get great listening examples from the world of music to illuminate Dad’s content.  After the farcical cold opening (hello, Saturday Night Live), in which a legit soprano incongruously intones Loggins & Messina’s “Your Mama Don’t Dance, and Your Daddy Don’t Rock ‘n’ Roll,” we settle into a catalog of vocal styles featuring the recorded likes of Sherrill Milnes, the English countertenor Alfred Deller, Bing Crosby, Ethel Merman, Ella Fitzgerald, Roy Acuff, Mick Jagger, and many more.

We also hear from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music vocal students (one for each part, SATB) singing classical fare and illustrating various aspects of their abilities beyond the differences in their range.  The slide-down-a-chair-to-allow-the-newest-guest-the-prime-real-estate efforts were a staple of these shows, particulary Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show (as opposed to many shows now, where the first guest does his/her thing and then exits, allowing the host to pay full attention to the next one).  We also have some beautiful period fashion examples, vintage 70’s, including Reider’s bell-bottom slacks and every guy’s lapels.  Quite the sartorial showcase.

Thanks for reading.  (Get more backstory, if interested, from previous posts.)  Here’s Man and His Music, episode 6, “Vocal Styles.”