Six Questions with Michele Brourman, Who Makes Her Solo Debut on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20 at Birdland Theater

C857CFCB-7A55-44A7-BA12-3472EC318EDF — Michele Brourman

Singer-songwriter Michele Brourman brings her show Love Notes, an intimate evening of original songs, to Birdland Theater on Sunday, October 20 at 7 PM. at Birdland Theatre. About her solo debut there, Brourman says, “A song is a love letter—I’ve been writing and sending them since I was a little girl. In this digital world, we need them now more than ever!”

Brourman’s song “My Favorite Year,” has been recorded by Michael Feinstein as well as by Dame Cleo Laine, and the late singing icon, Margaret Whiting. With longtime collaborator Amanda McBroom, she has written the songs for 18 animated features for Universal Studios as well as the score for the musical Dangerous Beauty.

NiteLife Exchange (NLE) celebrates Michele Brourman (MB) with Six Questions plus one.

NiteLife Exchange: When did you realize you have the gift of singing and what were some of your early influences?

Michele Brourman: I started singing as a toddler. I was surrounded by music all through my early childhood. My parents always sang, and my bubbie used to carry me around her house and sing to me. She died when I was 2 ½years old—but I remember sitting on the edge of her hospital bed, singing the song to her that she had always sung to me,“It’s a Big Wide Wonderful World.” So it was always there, a gift from birth, this love of music. I was playing the piano and singing complete songs by the time I was three, started piano lessons at 4 and have never stopped loving it – and learning!

I’d have to say my earliest influences were my family and the music they loved. My parents bought the original cast albums of every Broadway show; we had piles of sheet music for what we now call “The Great American Songbook”. My parents and my sisters spent hours at our Baldwin Acrosonic with me playing—it was at the core of our family life.

NLE: How did you get your start and how did you eventually get into cabaret?

MB: My first “gigs” were when I was a 13. I’d gotten together with a high school friend; she grew up to be Iris Rainer Dart, the author of “Beaches.” We pulled together a group of girl singers, including my two younger sisters, to perform around town. Iris and I wrote the special musical material; she choreographed and I created the arrangements. We played shows in Pittsburgh for several years—and we got paid! I think it was $100.00 per gig, which we split evenly: $10 to each of the nine girls in The Troupe and $10 for our drummer!

My ambition was to be a recording artist, a singer-songwriter like Carole and Joni and Laura and James. In the early 1970s, I had offers from four major labels, but each of them fell apart for different reasons. I moved to LA, still with that dream in mind, but I had to support myself. I started working as an MD with some wonderful singers, including my best friend and fellow songwriter, Amanda McBroom—and Cabaret is where we wound up. Given our love of lyrics and of melody, it was the perfect musical niche.

NLE: Which is the most memorable experience you’ve had in your career?

MB: I’ve had so many!! I worked as a staff writer on the first John Davidson show, writing special material with Iris. I got to play briefly in Bob Dylan’s band—after “auditioning” by spending 3 hours with him at his house, just jamming through his old and new songs. I worked with the brilliant Dixie Carter for years, produced two albums for her. I sat in the studio with Johnny Mandel and Michael Feinstein while Michael recorded his vocal on “My Favorite Year.” I’d written that on spec with Karen Gottlieb for the movie starring Peter O’Toole. They didn’t use the song in the movie, but Margaret Whiting, the angel-godmother to so many of us in the world of cabaret, heard the song and recorded it. And it took on a life of its own. I’ve written the songs for two musicals (The Belle of Tombstone with Sheilah Rae and Dangerous Beauty with Amanda McBroom) and seen them brought to life onstage. Amanda and I have co-written the songs for 18 animated features for children. I’ve produced those songs, plus a number of CDs, working with my genius friend Stephan Oberhoff. I’ve written and recorded songs with my sister, Robin Munson. And I love performing—wrapping my arms around an audience and sharing my songs with them. Every part of it is a joy!

NLE: How do you source material for your shows? Do you have anything in mind in regard to future shows?

MB: I have stacks of songs I’ve written over the years, and new ones being born all the time. So I’ve made it my mission to record those songs, one at a time and get them out in the world. My hope is that other singers will want to sing them as well.

NLE: What would you say is your current motivator?

MB: Time!! It’s going so fast! Sometimes I feel like I’m only just hitting my stride as a songwriter and singer! And perhaps as a human as well.

NLE: What do you like to do in your spare time?

MB: Read. Garden. Cook. Practice yoga and tai chi. Be with the people I love.

NLE: When you’re alone what do you listen to?

MB: You know, this is weird, but I don’t listen to a lot. I like to practice classical piano and I listen to rather eclectic music when I’m in the car. But there are always so many sound-tracks weaving around in my head—what I lovingly call My Inner DJ—that I can’t add another thread!