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Howard A. Roberts |
People We Remember |
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Roberts (left) with Cab
Calloway
at Carnegie Hall in 1987 |
Producer
Howard A. Roberts, the man who produced Barbra's 1967 album "Simply
Streisand" passed away at the age of 86. |
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Producer, "Simply
Streisand"
March 20, 2011
 "Variety"
is reporting the death of
Howard A. Roberts,
producer of Barbra
Streisand's 1967 album
"Simply Streisand."
He died at his home in
California on March 10.
Together with co-producer
Jack Gold, Roberts guided
Barbra through recording
sessions that included a
pastiche of sentimental
ballads and show tunes
such as "All The Things
You Are," "Stout Hearted
Men" and "The Boy Next
Door."
Not
considered one of Barbra's most successful
albums, "Simply Streisand"
finally went gold in 2002,
some 35 years after its
release.
While at Columbia Records,
Roberts produced albums
for other notable artists
as Tony Bennett, Diahann
Carroll and Aretha
Franklin.
Roberts, a true renaissance
man, was also a composer,
conductor, musician and
stage performer. In jazz
circles, he played trumpet
for Cab Calloway (while
serving as Calloway's
musical director) and for Lionel Hampton. In musical
theatre, Roberts was an
original cast member of
the 1953 Broadway
production of "Porgy and Bess," conducted the music for
the Broadway revival of
"Guys and Dolls" in 1976,
and for 15 years was the musical
director of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre.
In later years, Barbra
rediscovered and embraced the music
she and Roberts crafted for "Simply
Streisand." Her 1994
concerts included
renditions of "I'll Know"
and "Lover Man (Oh, Where
Can You Be?)." In 2002,
she performed "My Funny
Valentine" at the
Democratic Gala in
Hollywood. And of course,
the Billy Rose composition
"More Than You Know" was
a big number in Barbra's 1975
film, "Funny Lady."
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