Joe Laredo writes…
I had the privilege of writing the liner notes for Burl Ives' Greatest Hits, which led to an incredible opportunity. Bear Family Records in Germany wanted to produce a multi-CD career retrospective, and Burl wouldn't submit to extended interviews via telephone. As a happy consequence, I got to spend two wonderful weeks as the incredibly grateful and excited house guest of Burl and Dorothy Ives in Anacortes, Washington, combing through his archives and chatting about his life and career on a daily basis.
In my mind, Burl belonged to a select group of entertainers (including Jimmy Durante and Louis Armstrong) who just had to be nice men in real life or the world would come to an end. I didn't need to worry. This Academy Award-winning actor and Grammy Award-winning singer (a real Renaissance man and genuine 20th Century pop culture giant) proved to be every bit as warm, charming and delightful as I could have hoped.
My visit was on the cusp of the holiday season, and the Ives had a huge inflatable display of Sam the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in their front yard. You had to buzz a security intercom at the front gate to gain entrance to the property. At least six or seven times a day, carloads of families would pull up and ask if their children could come in and meet Mr. Ives. Burl was in his late eighties and had mobility issues, so they were politely thanked for their interest and told he was on a concert tour. The reservoir of good will this man built up over the decades was something to behold. Thanks so much for mentioning him.
Thanks so much for telling us about that. Yeah, he seemed like a great guy…someone who really enjoyed performing for people because it made them happy.
Say, this isn't an example of that but I remember one moment when Mr. Ives was on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Ives had recorded a new song about the Comet Kohoutek. This was '73 or '74 when it was in the news and a lot of musicians were writing tunes about it. Anyway, Ives came on to chat with Carson and then the plan was for him to sing this new song. I suspect Carson planned this in advance. He wanted Ives on the show and he wanted him to sing…but what he really wanted him to sing was his big hit, "Blue Tail Fly." So Johnny decided to bait-and-switch or something.
He said, "You know, Burt…I'm sure the folks here would really love to hear you do 'Blue Tail Fly,'" and of course the audience clapped mightily. Ives was sitting there with the guitar in his lap as he smiled a wicked grin and said, "I'll be glad to sing it if you'll let me sing my new song first." Burl Ives was no dummy. He was there to plug the new song and he knew that if he didn't sing it first, it would never get on the air because Johnny would announce they'd run out of time. He also probably figured it would seem like a letdown if sung second.
There was an exchange of looks between Johnny and Burl. Each knew exactly what the other was trying to do…and Johnny knew that he wasn't going to win this one. So he said something like, "Well, we don't have time for both so promise me you'll come back some night and sing 'Blue Tail Fly.' Ives so promised and he launched into the new song, which I doubt anyone remembers. I barely do. But I sure recall the slightly-annoyed "good sport" look on Mr. Carson's face during it…and a slight, smug trace of victory on Burl's face as he performed.
Hey, would anyone like to hear Burl Ives sing? Of course you would. Here's an audio link to one of his records. I had this as a 78 when I was a kid and I played the heck out of it. If the player I've embedded ain't there, refresh this page a few times and it should appear. And when it does, you'll get to hear all about "The Lollipop Tree."
