When I opened up Bruce’s notes just after midnight and saw the title, my heart sank. “Dear, sweet Michelle” — as her friends called her on Facebook — was gone. Bruce’s tribute was beautiful, and by the time I reached the end of the first page I was crying. Crying for someone I had never met, never talked to. Crying because a priceless voice had been silenced in such a cruel, painful fashion.
I first heard Michelle sing Feb. 10, 1995, at the Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills. It was the 11th annual Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (S.T.A.G.E.) and Michelle was part of a star-studded lineup paying tribute to the music of Harold Arlen. Dressed in a shimmering sequined gown, she sang an incandescent “Get Happy” that radiated life-affirming joy. It was the second song of the first act, and it was a showstopper. The applause was thunderous and, in just under four minutes, she had made me a fan for life.
“Reel Imagination” was the first Michelle album I bought and, I believe, the first Bruce-produced CD I bought. Picked it up at an indie stored called Zia Records in Tucson, Ariz. If memory serves, it sat on my CD case for a long time before I was in the mood to play it. When I did, I was blown away ... just as I had been that first night at the Wilshire. What a voice. Pure, positive, powerful. And so evocative. Her brassy vocals conveyed a wide-eyed joy that’s impossible to resist. She could, quite simply, sing a smile.
Favorites? How do you choose? “Reel Imagination,” and the two “Toonful” CDs, are brimming with wonderful performances, peerless production and delicious arrangements. “In My Own Little Corner/Impossible” and “The Dressing Song” are standouts on “Reel Imagination”; “The Second Star to the Right” on “Toonful” is a lush gem; and “Zippity Boppity Boo,” “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat” and “Under the Sea” on “Toonful, Too” are impossible to resist.
When Bruce, announced the Kritzerland at the Gardenia series, I had so hoped that Michelle could make an appearance. Or, even better, have performed an entire evening herself. It wasn’t to be. How glad I am that I got to see and hear her one final time at Bruce’s “Two’s Company” benefit at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, Calif., on Nov. 5, 2007. She sang “Part of Your World” from “The Little Mermaid” and was as radiant as ever.
How richer we are that she was a part of this world.
***
To view Michelle’s “Part of Your World” performance, use this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWJhPrsGMiMTo marvel at her performance of “Disneyland” from “Smile,” go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n_F1QMYJyI