BRIAN PAPPAS

I’ve been performing music from The Great American Songbook for over 60 years.

I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s and am certainly passionate about the music and artists from the time, but when I started piano lessons at the age of 7, all the songs my teacher taught me were from the Great American Songbook, so I developed a real love of these songs from a very early age. Eventually, I also studied classical music, as my parents felt that I had some talent and I needed to develop the technical skills that only a classical background can provide. However, because of my early exposure to the great music of Gershwin, Porter, Richard Rodgers, and many other composers, I am most passionate about the music from these composers.

It has been very discouraging to observe how this genre of music has been disappearing from the American landscape. In twenty years it’s probable that it will completely disappear unless something is done NOW. The music featured in The Great American Songbook is our musical heritage. In my opinion (and many others), this music is America’s greatest music. It’s always been fascinating to me that nearly all of the memorable music from this time period was composed by Americans. The songs are timeless, and hence have been called “standards” by the musical community. 

Notwithstanding this, aside from a few local AM radio stations, a few internet radio stations and three channels on Sirius XM radio, this music is rarely heard. This music will go down the same path as classical music – relegated to just a miniscule percent of the U.S. population. When was the last time you heard a program on any television channel in which this music is featured? Once in a great while you might catch a few songs on your local public broadcasting station. Broadway revivals keep some of these songs alive during their run.

I’ve been communicating with several big bands that are still performing (though rarely as they’ve told me), and with enough funding we will be hiring them to back up some very talented singers as we offer concerts here in Florida, and eventually throughout the country.

As we stated on the “ABOUT” page, if young people get exposure to this music they may develop the same passion for it that my contemporaries and our parents have for it. If you share the same passion for this music we’re asking you to contribute whatever you can to our Foundation and we’ll do the rest. 

Sincerely,

Brian Pappas, Founder and President 

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