"Mr. Tanner" by Harry Chapin.

OK, girls and boys, back to the 70s: Weston, CT baritone Martin Tubridy rented Carnegie Hall twice in the early 70s to perform voical recitals. The critics were less than enthusiastic and the newspaper reviews were tepid, at best. To his credit, he continued to perform in local theaters. Harry Chapin read one of the reviews in The New York Times and was inspired to write this masterful 1973 folk ballad about an Ohio launderer with a gifted voice who was encouraged by his friends to give full-time singing a try. In the story, he spends most of his savings going to the big city and renting a hall. The critics were merciless so he went back home to his laundry shop and never sang again other than at night when nobody was around. Chapin's long-time bassist and background vocalist Big John Wallace added the "O Holy Night" chorus in his rich baritone. Chapin song? Answer: "Mr. Tanner" by Harry Chapin. Undoubtedly my favorite Harry Chapin song. To this day, every time I hear it I get choked up (you know me, I'm a sensitive guy!). My dear voice teacher Julie Holtan, may she rest in peace, told me many years ago not to give up my day job (not that I was planning on it but I've always enjoyed singing and the song does hit home!). Big John Wallace was Chapin's right hand man for 10 years until Harry's untimely death in '81. Tubridy had no idea he had inspired the song until the 90s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upZB5VlbC6o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLtlvPHyTVE https://www.nytimes.com/1971/03/28/archives/tubridy-makes-song-debut.html