Broadway singer Ashley Park did an a cappella rendition of the Yip Harburg-Harold Arlen song classic “Over the Rainbow” on The Drew Barrymore Show on Oct. 30, 2020. See it here.
Category Archives: Featured
CHER AND MELISSA SING YIP… FOR JOE BIDEN
Cher has contributed a slightly rewritten lyric to the Yip Harburg-Harold Arlen classic “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” as her pitch for the 2020 Presidential candidacy of Joe Biden. See it here. Previously, Broadway singer Melissa Errico, accompanied by Lara Downes, performed the same song for the same campaign, with her own rewrite of the lyric. See it here. Melissa and Errico have also released the track for streaming and it can be accessed here.
THE LAST LEGACY OF E.Y. “YIP” HARBURG
Phil Springer, composer of “Santa Baby,” has released a CD/DVD collection of the songs he wrote with Yip Harburg, entitled the Last Legacy of E.Y. “Yip” Harburg. He spoke with journalist Sarah Pilla, and on Oct. 15, 2020 the Palisadian-Post published an article about the project.
“OVER THE RAINBOW” spreads hope – again
Although California’s annual Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) Choral Festival—originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 18—had been cancelled, the Chino Hills HS Chamber Singers demonstrated resilience by recording their individual a cappella portion of Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen’s classic “Over the Rainbow” in their separate homes, and through technology were able to appear together as a family again. Their harmonious performance was shared online for the CVUSD community with the goal of spreading hope and cheer during this difficult time. Even after 80+ years, it’s the song people sing in times of trouble.
NEW PODCAST ABOUT YIP
In Episode 48 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg speaks with Yip’s son Ernie Harburg, co-author of Who Put the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz? Yip Harburg, Lyricist, and Deena Rosenberg-Harburg, Yip’s daughter-in-law and author of Fascinating Rhythm: The Collaboration of George and Ira Gershwin. The interview was conducted on Feb. 22, 2020.
Harlem Repertory Theatre Does the Wizard of Oz Featured on New York Live TV!!
Check out this NBC segment that aired 8/27/19 about our Wizard of Oz: A Jazz Musical for All Ages, a unique 21st century take!
YIP HARBURG: FORGOTTEN LYRICIST
YouTube’s “History Guy” posted a segment about Yip Harburg on July 12, 2019 entitled “Yip Harburg: Forgotten Lyricist.”
THE WIZARD OF OZ: A JAZZ MUSICAL FOR ALL AGES at Harlem Rep
The Wizard of Oz: A Jazz Musical for All Ages, a new stage adaptation by Deena R. Harburg and Arthur Perlman of the beloved classic film, has been extended to June 2020 at the Harlem Repertory Theatre where it has been running since 2016 to enthusiastic response. See the reviews at NiteLife Exchange, Stage Buddy, The Broadway Blog, Huffington Post and Times Square Chronicles.
DUE TO CORONAVIRUS CAUTIONS, HARLEM REP HAS POSTPONED ITS 2019-20 SEASON UNTIL FALL 2020.
Over the Rainbow: The Life and Rhymes of Yip Harburg
Over the Rainbow: The Life and Rhymes of Yip Harburg by Stuart Stotts was released in paperback in September 2015 by Big Valley Press. It is also available as a Kindle book.
HUFFINGTON POST: ERNIE HARBURG REMINISCES ABOUT YIP
On Aug. 6, 2015 the Huffington Post published “Lyricist Yip Harburg’s Son Ernie: How My Dad Inspired Me to Become a Scientist” by Mike Sigman based on an essay by Ernie entitled “Yip and I.”