Marilyn Maye: Johnny Carson Tribute

Visiting New York from her native Kansas City, Marilyn Maye appeared on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson a whopping 76 times, but, somewhat unaccountably, hadn’t had a major engagement in New York since the early 90’s. Maye’s recordings (34 singles with RCA) include “Too Late Now,” picked by The Smithsonian as one of the 100 best recordings of the 20th century. She was nominated for a best new artist Grammy in 1965, going up against Herman’s Hermits, Sonny & Cher, Horst Jankowski and The Byrds. (Tom Jones won!) In March she positively dazzled New York with her self-assured stage presence and a voice that Stephen Holden of The Times raves “is in remarkable shape.”