A well-liked sixties singer mostly only heard today during the holidays
Growing up, right after Thanksgiving, my father would drag out all the Christmas LPs. There was Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and a bunch of multi-artist recordings where they would attempt to fit as many heads as possible on the album cover. One record that was often playing on the hi-fi was The John Gary Christmas Album. Released in 1963, it was a well-received holiday record, going to # 3 on the charts and remaining a best-seller for the next four years. Gary was a popular recording artist in the sixties, releasing an astonishing twenty-four albums for RCA between 1963 and 1971, along with appearances on stage and television, including hosting his own prime-time TV show for three years. His pleasant vocals and squeaky clean personality offered an alternative voice from the “dangerous” rock music of the time, although today, he’s mostly only known for the Christmas songs.
In truth, John Gary was late with his arrival. His RCA debut came out in 1963, slipping in just before the Beatles began dominating the charts and starting the speeding train decline of the Standards singer. Most of Gary’s records are still available to stream but, other than that, there’s not much out there about the singer. Maybe if he had started about eight years earlier, he might be better remembered today. Will Friedwald, who wrote the mammoth book A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers, didn’t include a John Gary entry. Even my father, who bought most of his LPs, considered him a minor talent who didn’t make very good records. John Gary was able to carve out a niche for himself with a segment of the record buying public, but he never made a Wee Small Hours or Only the Lonely. Except for one album where he came awfully close.
For his The Nearness of You album, Gary was paired with arranger Gordon Jenkins for a one-off recording. Jenkins arranged records for Cole and Sinatra, creating saloon—sometimes called “suicide”—albums for Sinatra: Where Are You?, No One Cares, All Alone, the titles themselves earning the right to be carved into the seat of every wooden barstool. The Nearness of You came out in 1965, the same year Jenkins and Sinatra made the landmark album September of My Years, which featured the fan-favorite: “It Was a Very Good Year.” Marty Gold wrote the charts for most of John Gary’s records but on The Nearness of You, Gary was finally matched with an arranger who was known for creating darkness and drama with his lavish orchestration.
Gary began his life in Watertown, New York in 1932 and he was singing with his sister in amateur talent shows as young as age five. Gifted with a three-octave vocal range, he earned a three-year scholarship at age eleven with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, as a soprano. Later, in his teens, he moved with his family to California, where he sang in the stage show Blackouts. After a stint in the Marines, Gary began singing on radio and television and performing in nightclubs in New Orleans and Chicago, before signing to RCA as a recording artist in 1962. He would release records throughout the next four decades, his last in 1994, four years before his death at age 65.
Gary’s first release was a self-titled album of singles put out by an independent label in 1961 (later renamed John Gary Songbook). The format was mixed, with radio-friendly songs and pop arrangements that seemed to be desperately looking for where John Gary would fit. Listening to these songs, there is a sense that the record people may have thought they had found another Roy Orbison-like singer. But, by the time of his RCA debut, Catch a Rising Star, it was clear that Gary would follow the path of the easy listening artist, singing Showtunes and Standards. “More,” from the debut, became his first hit.
The Nearness of You is a collection of sensuous love ballads, a format that’s always worked best for the singer (Gary dabbled in swing but it was never his forte). This record includes some of my favorite versions of tunes from the Great American Songbook: “Time after Time,” “You Stepped Out of a Dream,” and especially “My Foolish Heart.” I won’t go as far as calling it a concept album, but there is a unifying mood that flows through every track. Jenkins doesn’t over-arrange here. Instead, he leaves a light backing of strings and piano that allow enough space for Gary’s voice to capture the emotion in each song. The sentimental backing is a perfect match for John Gary’s singing style, and like other vocalists Gordon Jenkins worked with, Gary raises his game and gives his best vocal performance.
In the end, John Gary probably never really needed to make a truly epic record. His albums sold well, people went to see his live shows, and he was a frequent guest on variety and TV talk shows. Still, The Nearness of You stands out in his recording catalog, and one might assume that on this one occasion, he was reaching for something greater.