My Gig With Diahann Carroll

The passing today of Diahann Carroll brought back some memories for me, and I thought I’d share a couple. 

I played for Diahann when she did appearances on the Tonight Show from time to time, back in the Johnny Carson days, and into the Jay Leno era. 

I remember the first one I did—I got a call from a record producer I knew, asking if I was available. I hesitated, because friends had warned me that he tended to be problematic about paying musicians, but I realized that my paycheck would be coming from NBC, a more reliable source. (Aside from a TV movie I did for NBC Productions, but that’s another story altogether.) 

The show went well and we got along famously, and I did more shows with her. I remember that the band’s pianist, Ross Tompkins, asked if I wanted to play with the show’s band on the instrumental they played during a commercial break before our segment. I regarded this like someone handing me the keys to their Porsche and asking if I’d like to take it for a spin. 

Diahann was also very kind to me, and a thoroughly musical singer, so my gigs with her were always enjoyable. 

Flash forward a few decades: At one of the lunch groups that I frequent, I was told a story by the late, legendary Hal Kanter relating to Diahann. He also told it in one of his autobiographies, so I figure it must be true. 

Hal wrote the script for the Academy Awards for many years, and happened to be sitting at his table at the 1961 ceremony when his fellow Savannahian Johnny Mercer headed for the stage to pick up his Best Song Oscar for co-writing “Moon River” with Henry Mancini. On his way, Johnny leaned over and whispered what Hal considered an offensively racist comment in his ear. 

Hal was not happy with his friend’s joke, and was still a bit steamed the next day when he began writing the script that became the pilot for a TV series called “Julia,” which eventually became the first series to star an African-American woman as anything but a domestic helper, and made Diahann Carroll immensely famous. 

So today I’ll have kind thoughts and happy memories for Diahann and Hal.

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