Deanna Reuben

READING EAGLE NEWSPAPER

Don Botch    February 26, 2018

Wyomissing vocalist's career reinvention reaches its pinnacle

Longtime classical singer Deanna Reuben releases a new single, "If the Truth Be Told," penned by a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and two members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

WRITTEN BY DON BOTCH, FEATURES WRITER FOR THE  READING EAGLE NEWSPAPER

 MONDAY,  FEBRUARY 26, 2018

WYOMISSING, PA —Deanna Reuben has overcome her share of obstacles in pursuit of the singing career that has been her life's passion since she was a teenager attending Wilson High School.

In the late '80s, while living in Washington, D.C., and singing with the prestigious Washington Singers and Paul Hill Chorale, she overcame damage to her vocal cords suffered while undergoing thyroid surgery.

Then, at age 50, after realizing she no longer had the stamina for the classical repertoire but not ready to call it a career, she decided to reinvent herself by retraining her voice for jazz and Broadway standards.

"That was a challenge," said the Wyomissing resident. "It took about a year. And I still sometimes revert back to that. It's been a fun journey."

That journey reached its pinnacle on Sept. 25, when an email arrived in her inbox out of the clear blue.

The sender was Peter Stoller, son of Mike Stoller, who teamed with Jerry Leiber to pen such rock 'n' roll classics as "Hound Dog," "Yakety Yak" and "Stand By Me." The email was just three sentences long:

"Dear Ms. Reuben, Mike Stoller heard you on the radio recently and was quite taken with your voice. He's just completed a song with Marilyn and Alan Bergman and wondered if you might be interested. I have attached a demo - please let us know what you think!"

"I was at home and checking my email, and I opened this up and went 'Oh my God,' and tears just started streaming down my face," Reuben said last week in reflecting back on that September day. "And Mark (her husband) goes, 'What's the matter?' and I went: 'No, no, no. No, no, no. It's all good.' "

Good, indeed. Reuben had just been invited to record "If the Truth Be Told," a song penned by a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with lyrics by a couple of members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame whose credits include "The Way We Were" and "The Windmills of Your Mind." It doesn't get much better than that.

She gave the demo a listen and knew right away that the slow, romantic bossa number, which sounds like a page out of the Great American Songbook, was a perfect fit.

"I could hear myself singing it," she said. "It was great. I always listen to the melody line, and I also listen to the chord progressions, and some of these writers that send me pieces to peruse that they've written, they're clunky. And this had just such a beautiful musical flow to it. I could really hear myself singing it. It was well written."

Reuben has recorded four albums since 2005, but getting back into the studio wasn't necessarily something she had been planning to do. CDs, after all, are a hard sell these days, and digital releases translate to cents but not dollars for artists, so it's hard to justify the expense. But recording this single was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.

"I said I would be crazy if I didn't do this," she said. "So I gathered my musicians - the ones I've used on other albums - and we started the project."

First, she reached out to her longtime collaborator, Marty Mellinger, who owns and operates Cross Keys Recording in Bern Township, where she recorded three of her four albums.

"He has a very professional studio," she said. "It's state of the art, recording equipment-wise. And he's a phenomenal musician and arranger. A lot of people don't realize that, and I would say he could've been a classical concert pianist, as well."

Joining them were a couple of other musicians who have been by her side throughout this portion of her career: guitarist Paul Columbo, who helped with the arrangement, and bassist Steve Varner. And rounding out the ensemble was drummer John Rozum.

They finished the recording by Nov. 19, she sent it to the Stollers for approval, then arranged licensing and released it as a single last month on all the major online services.

Reuben said she has long been a fan of the Bergmans, citing their contributions to the canons of Barbra Streisand, who she idolized growing up, and Michel Legrand.

"I've sung a lot of their songs over my lifetime," Reuben said, "and I love them as lyricists - absolutely love them."

In fact, "How Do You Keep the Music Playing," with lyrics by the Bergmans, was the first song on Reuben's first album, 2005's "The Look of Love." She's also recorded their songs "Where Do You Start" and "After the Rain."

She said she's working on some other Bergman songs that Legrand sang, so if she ever opts to make another album, it would include those plus the new single.

But that's not in her immediate plans. For now, she's gearing up for a concert with her vocal ensemble called Four of a Kind, which will be presenting a Broadway revue as a fundraiser for Reading Civic Theater on April 20 at the Abraham Lincoln.

And she's basking in the glow of a career highlight.

"I think this is the pinnacle," she said of being asked to record "If the Truth Be Told." "This was the highest honor that I could've received. And coming from these great people from our musical time, it's quite an honor. So it's the icing on the cake. If I do nothing else, I can go out on a high note."

About Deanna Reuben

She graduated from Wilson High School and finished earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Alvernia University while her two daughters were toddlers.

She relocated to Washington, D.C., in the early 1980s to pursue her musical career and work in real estate.

She was a soloist with the prestigious Washington Singers and the internationally renowned Paul Hill Chorale.

Venues, where she has performed, include the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Mann Center, and Wolf Trap.

She has shared stages with the likes of Marvin Hamlisch, Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman.

Since transitioning to singing standards, she has released four albums: 2005's “The Look of Love,” 2009's “On Life and Love,” 2012's “The Very Thought of You” and 2013's “Christmas Is Here.”

She and her husband, Dr. Mark Reuben, live in Wyomissing, where she teaches voice and piano.

She has served on the board of trustees of Alvernia University.

She's on the board of directors of the Reading Symphony Orchestra.

Listen or buy

Deanna Reuben's song “If the Truth Be Told” is a digital-only release. You can stream it at deannareuben.com or purchase it for 99 cents at major online music retailers including CDBaby, iTunes, Spotify and Amazon.

PRESS RELEASE

Alan Shirk    February 27, 2018

Contact: Alan Shirk, alan@shirkcom.com, 610-374-8838

Website: http://deannareuben.com/

Play Song: http://deannareuben.com/audio/s/if_the_truth_be_told1

Photo Gallery: http://deannareuben.com/photo_gallery/

Jazz Artist Deanna Reuben Collaborates with Legendary Songwriter Mike Stoller and Lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman for Her Latest Single, “If The Truth Be Told”

Wyomissing, Pa.—Accomplished jazz vocalist and the Great American songbook performer Deanna Reuben of Wyomissing, Pa. collaborated with legendary songwriter Mike Stoller and lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman on her latest release, the single “If The Truth Be Told,” (http://deannareuben.com/audio/s/if_the_truth_be_told1) available on CD Baby and streaming on several major Internet sites, such as I-Tunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google, iHeart Radio, Pandora, Rhapsody and YouTube Music.  

Described as a “romantic ballad with a Latin feel,”  the music was composed by Stoller—who sought out Reuben to record it after he heard one of her songs on a syndicated jazz program on a Los Angeles radio station—and the lyrics by the Bergmans. Reuben said, “I was honored and actually blown away that I was asked to do their song. To say that I was on Cloud 9 is an understatement!”

Stoller and his late partner, Jerry Leiber, co-wrote numerous hits including early rock ‘n’ roll favorites “Hound Dog,” “Charlie Brown,” “Stand By Me” and “Spanish Harlem.” He continues to run Leiber-Stoller Productions in Los Angeles. The Bergmans have written the music and lyrics  for numerous celebrated shows, films stage musicals and individual artists--including Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra--and have won three Academy Awards for Best Original Song and have been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

Reuben (http://deannareuben.com/ ) has been performing for many years and has recorded four previous albums. To produce “If The Truth Be Told,” she assembled a local team of musicians whom she has performed with many times at the Berks Jazz Fest and other venues, including pianist Marty Mellinger, bassist Steve Varner, guitarist Paul Colombo, and drummer John Rozum. The song was produced by Reuben and arranged by her, Mellinger and Colombo. It was recorded at Mellinger’s Reading, Pa Cross Keys Studio and released earlier this month.

“Because we all had an excellent working relationship, we were able to produce the final versions in three takes incorporating changes and approval by Mike and the Bergmans,” said Reuben.  “Most of the work involved minor chord changes or mixing issues that were easily resolved. I was thrilled that we accomplished what we did.”

Reuben is a lifelong musician, teacher, choral director and composer who recorded her first CD, “The Look of Love,” in 2005. Her other albums include “On Life and Love” (2009), “The Very Thought of You” (2011) and “Christmas Is Here” (2013). She has performed at numerous venues throughout the Mid-Atlantic states including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Wolf Trap and Mann Center. Her syndicated music can be heard on numerous U.S. and overseas stations.

“Just like terrific reviews, commercial radio play is important to me since I am always open to recording other songs and compositions. For example, I had heard from two other composers who had heard me on LA radio, but when out of the blue Mike’s son, Peter, called and told me his Dad wanted me to record one of his songs, I was totally on board,” Reuben said.

Reuben, who has not recorded any other Leiber-Stoller tunes, but has covered three other Bergman songs on her albums—“Where Do You Start,” “How Do You Keep the Music Playing,” and “After the Rain”—is contemplating doing her own album of Bergman music, as well as evaluating other projects like “If The Truth Be Told.”

She said, “I don’t know where the next project is coming from or where I’m going, but I do know I’ll be doing my best to keep the music playing.”

Visit http://deannareuben.com/ to listen to or purchase “If The Truth Be Told” or any other of Deanna’s recordings, or to learn more about her music and career. Her songs and albums are also available through CD Baby, I-Tunes and Amazon.

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Deanna Reuben, concert vocalist and recording artist, has become one of the finest interpreters of the Great American Songbook working today.  To date, she has recorded four albums. the latest being a lively jazz holiday recording entitled “Christmas is Here,” released in 2013.

Her greatest honor came when in October, 2017, she received an email from Peter Stoller, the son of the iconic rock'n roll composer, Mike Stoller.  Mike and the most distinguished lyricists of our time, Marilyn and Alan Bergman, collaborated to write the single "If the Truth be Told."  Peter told Deanna that his father heard her on an L.A. radio station and asked if she would be interested in recording their new single. This was an opportunity she couldn't turn down. She immediately engaged two of her finest musicians, recorded and released If the Truth be Told in November 2017. 

Her first recording, “The Look of Love,” released in 2005, brought her high praise from critics and casual listeners alike.   Her sophomore album, “On Life and Love,” released in 2009 features two of her original compositions.  Teaming with R. Martin Mellinger, her haunting ballad “Here in the Night,” leaves her audiences mesmerized as she makes that soulful connection.  In 2012, Deanna released her third album, “The Very Thought of You," and in 2013 she released "Christmas is Here."

She has received extensive commercial radio airplay time across the U.S., as well as internet airplay and downloads from I-Tunes, Spotify, Rhapsody, Sound-cloud, Pandora, Amazon and others. Physical CD's may be purchased through CD Baby and Amazon.

Earlier in her career, while maintain

Alan and Marilyn Bergman Bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_and_Marilyn_Bergman

Mike Stoller Bio: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005469/bio